Aisha and late Muhammadu Buhari
By Our Reporter
Former President Muhammadu Buhari and wife
A top aide of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari has dismissed as “hogwash”
and “utter nonsense” the viral claim by U.S.-based journalism professor, Farooq Kperogi, that Buhari and his wife, Aisha, were divorced before his death in 2025.
Kperogi, a well-known critic of Buhari, had alleged in a viral Facebook post that the former president and First Lady were no longer married when he exited office in May 2023, claiming that Aisha had reverted to her maiden name, Aisha Halilu, and had distanced herself from her husband’s post-presidency life.
But speaking exclusively to Keeping Them Honest Daily, the former aide, who declined to be named “because I don’t want to dabble into family matters,” challenged the claim, citing multiple personal and public instances that suggest the couple remained together until Buhari’s passing.
“I visited the former president in his Kaduna residence on March 17th this year, and she was right there with him,” the aide said. “In fact, she personally served the suya we ate. So how can Kperogi claim they have been divorced since 2023 or maybe even earlier? This is hogwash; utter nonsense.”
Kperogi had argued that Aisha’s absence from Daura after Buhari’s retirement, and his eventual relocation to Kaduna alone, indicated that the couple had gone their separate ways.
“If you paid close attention, you would notice that Aisha didn’t go to Daura when he retired to the town after leaving office. Buhari was also alone when he later relocated to Kaduna,” he wrote.
He further claimed that Aisha was initially reluctant to travel to London to care for Buhari when he fell ill in the final days before his death. “She reportedly hesitated because she was no longer his wife,” he alleged.
He said that “She eventually went, but only after intense persuasion.”
But the former aide countered that these claims were speculative and failed to account for publicly documented moments in the couple’s life after 2023.
“Last year, I visited Oga in Daura. That was my last trip there before he died. I specifically asked after her. He told me she was abroad attending to her daughter who had just put to bed. That doesn’t sound like a man who’s separated from his wife.”
He also pointed to public events that suggest the couple remained on good terms, including the January 2023 launch of “Working with Buhari”, a book written by Femi Adesina, Buhari’s former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.
“They were both there, together. That’s a public record. Anyone can verify that,” he noted.
The controversy emerged in the wake of a viral quote, falsely attributed to Aisha Buhari, in which she was said to have claimed that Buhari had asked her to seek forgiveness from Nigerians on his behalf before his death. While Kperogi said he could not verify the quote, he used it as a springboard to assert his claim of a divorce between the former First Couple.
“I’m genuinely curious to know when and where Buhari told her to beg Nigerians for forgiveness,” Kperogi wrote. “Where did she even say this?”
Despite Kperogi’s scepticism, the former aide questioned the motives behind such claims, calling them a new low in anti-Buhari propaganda.
“You and I know Kperogi is a certified Buhari hater,” he said.
“I just didn’t expect that he would take it this far.”
He added, “This is not journalism; this is gossip mixed with venom. It’s unbecoming of someone who claims to be an academic.”
Though the presidency under Buhari was not without its share of speculated tensions between the couple, often fanned by Aisha Buhari’s outspokenness and criticisms of her husband’s government, there was never any official confirmation of marital trouble, let alone a divorce.
As far back as 2016, Aisha Buhari made headlines when she told the BBC in an interview that her husband did not “know 45 out of 50 of the people he appointed,” suggesting he had lost
control of his government.
Buhari, during a press conference in Germany, replied that his wife “belongs in the kitchen, the living room, and the other room”-a comment that sparked global backlash and fueled speculation of domestic friction.
Again in 2019, when a viral video surfaced allegedly showing a woman in the Presidential Villa locked out of her quarters and shouting at aides, many speculated the woman was Aisha. She later confirmed she was the one in the video and used the incident to criticize the cabal she claimed had hijacked the Presidency.
These episodes, though never confirming a divorce, painted a picture of strain, often seized upon by critics and tabloids to speculate on the status of the Buhari marriage. Still, the former aide insists that none of these public spats amounted to a formal separation.
“Look, every marriage has its moments, especially under the pressure of State House life. But that doesn’t mean divorce. That’s a leap too far.”
He questioned Kperogi’s reliance on anecdotal and circumstantial evidence to draw conclusions.
“He wasn’t in Daura. He wasn’t in Kaduna. He wasn’t in London. So where’s the source of all these claims?”
The aide added that in Buhari’s final months, especially as his health declined, Aisha Buhari was present and involved.
“I know for a fact that she was with him during those last days. Whatever disagreements they may have had in the past, they were resolved long before his death.”
As tributes continue to pour in following Buhari’s passing, the latest controversy over his marital status has introduced a jarring note into an otherwise solemn period. While Kperogi insists his claims are based on credible sources, no family member or official source has confirmed any divorce between the couple.
The presidency and close family have so far remained silent on the matter, perhaps unwilling to dignify what some consider an unnecessary distraction from the nation’s mourning.
Meanwhile, the late president’s supporters are urging the public to focus on his legacy rather than social mediadriven rumours.
“Let the man rest,” said the aide. “He served this country with the best of intentions. Picking apart his private life now that he’s gone is just wrong.”
As of press time, Aisha Buhari had not issued any statement directly addressing the report.
[Credit: Keeping Them Honest]
