By Our Correspondent
Former First Lady Aisha Buhari has spoken candidly about a difficult period during her husband’s presidency, revealing how internal power struggles and damaging rumours within the Presidential Villa created mistrust between her and former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The revelation is contained in a newly published biography, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, in which Aisha Buhari recounts how false allegations circulated by individuals close to power portrayed her as a threat to the president’s safety.
According to her, the rumours suggested that she intended to poison or harm her husband, claims she described as completely baseless. She said the atmosphere of suspicion caused Buhari to temporarily distance himself from her and take extreme personal security measures, including locking his room and altering long established daily routines.
Aisha Buhari explained that the situation disrupted the former president’s lifestyle, particularly his feeding and medication schedules, and contributed to emotional strain within the household. She noted that this period coincided with Buhari’s health challenges, which later led to extended medical treatment abroad.
The former First Lady blamed the episode on what she described as a cabal, a group of influential aides and insiders who she said thrived on misinformation and internal rivalry. According to her, their actions undermined trust within the presidency and affected both governance and personal relationships at the highest level of government.
She described the experience as deeply painful, stressing that the rumours were designed to isolate the president and weaken those closest to him. Aisha Buhari maintained that such internal intrigues had lasting consequences for governance and family life during Buhari’s time in office.
The disclosure has revived public debate about the influence of unelected power brokers during the Buhari administration, a topic that generated widespread controversy throughout his tenure. While the former president rarely addressed such claims publicly, Aisha Buhari had on several occasions warned about forces she said were restricting access to him.
Her latest account offers a rare personal insight into the human cost of political power struggles behind the scenes at Aso Rock.
