Ex-Aide Reveals Tinubu’s Trusted Inner Circle

A former Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu during his time as Governor of Lagos State, Dapo Thomas, has revealed that the former governor relied on a small group of five commissioners whom he trusted more than others while in office.

Thomas, now a professor of history at Lagos State University, made the disclosure in excerpts from his autobiography titled Lagos Boy and Lagos Politics, which is scheduled for launch on July 9, 2026.

According to him, Tinubu privately grouped members of his cabinet into different categories based on the level of confidence he had in them, with only five commissioners belonging to the highest category.

Thomas stated that although Tinubu disclosed the names of commissioners in the different categories to him, he would only reveal those who belonged to the first group out of respect for confidentiality.

He identified the five commissioners as Wale Edun, Dele Alake, Yemi Cardoso, Rauf Aregbesola and Yemi Osinbajo.

Thomas explained that he noticed Tinubu treated some commissioners differently, particularly in the way official files were submitted for approval.

He recalled that some commissioners were often reprimanded for taking files directly to the governor instead of forwarding them through the Office of the Chief of Staff. However, he noted that the five commissioners in the highest category regularly submitted their files directly without attracting any criticism.

“The governor told me the names of the commissioners in the different categories, but in strict adherence to discretion, I will mention only the commissioners that were in category one,” Thomas wrote.

According to him, what appeared to some people as favouritism was, in Tinubu’s view, based solely on trust.

“I was not sure he saw it that way, though. To him, it was all about trust issues. When a man has character deficit, he attracts just an ounce of deference,” Thomas added.

The former aide also recounted an occasion when several commissioners gathered around Tinubu shortly before he travelled, each hoping to obtain his signature on official documents.

Thomas said the governor became suspicious that he was being pressured into signing multiple files and immediately ordered everyone to leave his office.

“Everybody get out of my office now. If I continue this way, a time would come that I would have signed my resignation letter without knowing it. What kind of nonsense is this? Out everybody,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.

Thomas also recalled another incident before Tinubu travelled to South Africa. According to him, the governor initially agreed to take official files along for approval but later changed his mind after a discussion with Yemi Cardoso.

He said Tinubu eventually instructed his driver in Yoruba to return the files to the vehicle.

“Mustapha, wa ko files yi pada sinu moto. Ko s’eni to ma f’ogun s’enu ba mi soro lohun yen,” Tinubu reportedly said, meaning, “Mustapha, take these files back to the car. Nobody can put me under a spell when I am treating the files over there.”

Thomas said the incidents reflected Tinubu’s careful style of leadership and his reliance on a small group of trusted commissioners and aides while serving as governor.