Aisha Buhari Was Divorced From Late President Buhari Before His Death – Farooq Kperogi

Public affairs analyst and journalism professor Farooq Kperogi has claimed that Aisha Buhari, wife of Nigeria’s late former president Muhammadu Buhari, was no longer married to him at the time of his death. Kperogi made the statement on Wednesday via a post on his verified Facebook page, addressing circulating reports that Aisha said her husband asked her to seek forgiveness from Nigerians on his behalf before he died.

While expressing doubt over the authenticity of the statement attributed to Aisha, Kperogi stated, “What I do know is that before Buhari’s death, he and Aisha were no longer married. They had divorced, and Aisha reverted to her maiden name, Aisha Halilu.”

Kperogi pointed to signs of estrangement between the couple following Buhari’s departure from office. “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 also claimed that when Buhari became ill, Aisha initially hesitated to travel to London to care for him because they were no longer married. “She eventually went in the last few days before he died, but only after intense persuasion,” he added. “Even now, during this period of mourning, she seems understandably conflicted about her role.”

Questioning the credibility of the reported statement from Aisha, Kperogi said, “I’m genuinely curious to know when and where Buhari told her to beg Nigerians for forgiveness. Where did she even say this?”

These comments come a day after the late president was laid to rest in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State. Aisha Buhari was present at the burial, where she appeared visibly grief-stricken and received condolences from dignitaries, including First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.

Aisha and Muhammadu Buhari married on December 2, 1989, and had five children together. Public speculation over the state of their relationship had surfaced in previous years. In 2019, there were reports that Aisha had been absent from Nigeria for about two months, reportedly in protest over internal issues in the presidency. She left the country for Hajj in Saudi Arabia and later remained in London after the pilgrimage, according to sources.