Former First Lady Aisha Buhari has revealed that her late husband, President Muhammadu Buhari, briefly believed disturbing rumors within the Presidential Villa suggesting she intended to poison him during his presidency.
The revelation is contained in a new 600-page biography titled From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, authored by Dr. Charles Omole and unveiled at the State House on Monday.
According to Mrs. Buhari, the former president’s severe health crisis in 2017 which necessitated a 154-day medical leave in the United Kingdom was the result of disrupted nutrition and meal routines rather than poisoning or an unknown ailment, as had been widely speculated. She explained that she had personally overseen his dietary and supplement regimen to support his health before the rumors took hold.
“Then came the gossip and the fearmongering. They said I wanted to kill him,” the biography quotes her as saying. “My husband believed them for a week or so,” she added, revealing that the president started locking his room, changing his daily habits, and eventually halting his meals and supplements.
“For a year, he did not have lunch. They mismanaged his meals,” Mrs. Buhari noted, emphasizing that once proper supplementation resumed in London, President Buhari’s health improved dramatically so much so that he abandoned his walking stick within three days.
The book also touches on the atmosphere of mistrust in the Presidential Villa, referencing incidents of alleged surveillance and debunking persistent conspiracy theories, including the notorious “Jibril of Sudan” body double rumor.
Spanning 22 chapters, the biography chronicles Buhari’s journey from his early days in Daura, Katsina State, through his years as a soldier and statesman, up to his passing in a London hospital in July 2025 at age 82.
