ABUJA — In a stunning new biography launched at the State House on Monday, former First Lady Aisha Buhari claims that a climate of vicious gossip inside Aso Rock led the late President Muhammadu Buhari to lock his bedroom door against her, believing rumors that she intended to kill him.
The claim, which provides a deeply personal explanation for the president’s severe 2017 health crisis, is the central revelation in the 600-page official biography, “From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari,” authored by Dr. Charles Omole.
The Genesis of a Crisis: Broken Trust and Broken Routine
According to extensive excerpts from the book, Mrs. Buhari had for years personally managed a strict nutritional regimen for her husband, described as “a slender man with a long history of malnutrition symptoms.” This routine of tailored vitamins, proteins, and timed meals was, she says, essential for his strength.
This delicate system collapsed when rumors began to circulate within the Presidential Villa. “Then came the gossip and the fearmongering. They said I wanted to kill him,” Aisha Buhari is quoted as saying. The biography states that President Buhari “believed them for a week or so,” leading him to lock his room and, critically, abandon the meal plan.
The consequences were swift and severe. “Meals were delayed or missed; the supplements were stopped. For a year, he did not have lunch,” she revealed. This nutritional breakdown, Aisha Buhari contends directly, was “the genesis of the crisis” that led to his medical collapse.
From Nutritional Neglect to a 154-Day Medical Leave
The physical deterioration from the lost routine culminated in President Buhari’s two extended medical trips to London in 2017, totaling 154 days—one of the longest medical leaves by a sitting Nigerian president. During this period, he ceded power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Upon his return, Buhari admitted to being “never so ill” and having received blood transfusions. Aisha Buhari, who took charge of his recovery in London, described slipping hospital-prescribed supplements into his food. She reported a dramatic improvement: “After just three days, he threw away the stick he was walking with.”
She uses this account to definitively debunk widespread conspiracy theories from that era. “Her contention… is that ‘loss of a routine’ was the genesis of the crisis,” Omole writes, adding that she argued Buhari’s illness was “not a mysterious ailment or poisoning.”
A Legacy Launched and a Warning Implied
The biography was launched by President Bola Tinubu, who praised his predecessor’s integrity but underscored a key lesson from the book. “The life of President Buhari… teaches us that personal honesty must be backed by systems,” Tinubu stated, implicitly highlighting the vulnerabilities revealed by the biography’s account.
Author Dr. Charles Omole stated the work aims to present a complete portrait of “the man Muhammadu Buhari,” covering his life from his early years in Daura, Katsina State, to his passing in a London hospital in July 2025.
Other Key Revelations
The biography also addresses other long-standing controversies:
· Climate of Mistrust: It describes an Aso Rock atmosphere rife with suspicion, including alleged surveillance and “bugging” of the President’s office.
· “Jibril of Sudan” Debunked: Aisha Buhari dismisses the popular rumor that a body double was used for public appearances, calling it “absurd.”
· Institutional Critique: Omole notes that Buhari’s need for treatment abroad exposed the gaps in Nigeria’s health system while also praising his constitutional consistency in transferring power to his deputy during his absences.
The book’s intimate details provide a unprecedented, if contested, window into the private fears and administrative failures that impacted one of Nigeria’s most consequential presidencies, shifting the narrative on a national health mystery from political conspiracy to a story of personal trust broken at the highest level.
