Drama and betrayal played out in Nigeria’s political history as former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, exposed the secret account of her late husband Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency, accusing a shadowy inner circle of hijacking power and derailing his administration.
The explosive revelations are in the new book From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, authored by Dr. Charles Omole, unveiled Monday at the State House Banquet Hall.
In Chapter 22, titled ‘Revelations at Last after the Silence: Aisha Buhari’s Account of the Villa and the Men who fought a Presidency,’ Aisha paints a grim picture of Buhari’s eight-year tenure, saying he was held hostage by “a small court of elderly relatives and elites,” whom she calls “a mafia of a certain kind, (with) native intelligence bent to private ends.”
She claims those who worked tirelessly to secure Buhari’s 2015 victory were shut out of power as the cabal decided “who got what, when and how.”
Her personal ordeal, she says, worsened in 2017 when powerful aides plotted to push her out, warning Buhari that her “strong character” could overshadow them.
“They tried to push everybody out, including me,” she said.
Aisha stood her ground, insisting, “This is my house. You can live wherever you like, but you cannot be in charge of my husband’s office and then also be in charge of me, his wife, inside my house.”
She narrated how extended family, courtiers, and loyalists filled the Villa, exploiting Buhari’s fondness for relatives and old friends.
“Those who knew his weaknesses exploited them to the detriment of the lofty goals of his administration.”
According to her, the presidency became “common property,” with relatives without official roles controlling access, while long-time allies from Buhari’s opposition years were locked out.
“They had money; they had people; but they did not have the power to install a president,” she said, almost wryly adding, “They reduced Nigeria to a sitting-room meeting.”
She blamed public criticism of Buhari’s tenure on the cabal, accusing them of confusing proximity to power with responsibility.
“He had the wrong people in the right places. He didn’t change them for eight years,” she said.
The book also reveals why Aisha endorsed Bola Ahmed Tinubu for president in 2023, despite cabal efforts to push a northern candidate.
Her support, she said, was guided by the moral imperative of power rotation and Tinubu’s electoral strength.
“We have spent eight years in the North. Peace is priceless. Let us give the South the chance,” she said.
And when she asked northern governors, “Among your aspirants from the South, who can be sold in the North?” the answer was Tinubu, a choice she fully supported.
“She states her husband neither instructed nor interfered. ‘He has never,’ she claims. ‘He did not interfere to make anyone President.’”
But, she alleges, Buhari’s cabal, led by Mamman Daura, had other plans, scheming behind the scenes to control the succession.
