When Aisha Buhari walked into her husband’s bedroom in 2017 and found the door locked, she didn’t know it was the beginning of a week-long silence between them — not from anger, but from fear. Former President Muhammadu Buhari, then recovering from a mysterious health collapse that sent him abroad for 154 days of medical leave, had begun believing the whispers swirling through Aso Rock: that his wife wanted him dead. The revelation, laid bare in the newly released 600-page biography From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari by Dr. Charles Omole, Director-General of the Institute for Police and Security Policy Research, offers a startling glimpse into the private turmoil behind Nigeria’s most guarded presidency. The book was unveiled at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, December 15, 2025, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and senior officials in attendance — a moment meant to honor legacy, but which instead exposed a deeply personal betrayal.
The Gossip That Almost Killed Him
It wasn’t a stroke. It wasn’t poison. According to Aisha, the collapse that sent Buhari to London in 2017 began with a broken routine — the one she had built from scratch in Kaduna, long before they moved into the Presidential Villa. For years, she’d managed his meals with military precision: daily vitamin powders mixed into oatmeal, protein-rich soups, herbal oils, carefully timed supplements. She called it his "health architecture." When he fell ill, the rumors started — whispered in hallways, passed along by aides who feared her influence. "They said I wanted to kill him," she told Dr. Omole. "My husband believed them for a week or so."
That week changed everything. He stopped eating the meals she prepared. He locked his door. He refused the supplements. He skipped lunch for months. "For a year, he did not have lunch," she recalled. "They mismanaged his meals." The result? Rapid decline. Weakness. A cane. The same man who once marched through military barracks with unshakable stamina was now leaning on wood.
How She Brought Him Back
Aisha didn’t confront him. She didn’t scream. She called a meeting — with the Physician to the President Suhayb Rafindadi, Chief of Staff Bashir Abubakar, the housekeeper, and the Director General of the State Security Service. No accusations. Just facts. "I told them: If he dies because of this, you’ll all answer to history."
Then she acted. Quietly. Secretly. She began slipping hospital-issued supplements into his juice, his oats, even his tea. No one knew. Not the aides. Not the security detail. Just her and the food. Within three days, he threw away the cane. By the end of the week, he was receiving visitors again. "He didn’t know what was happening," she said. "He just felt better."
It wasn’t magic. It was medicine. And it was the same medicine she’d used since their early days in Kaduna — before the power, before the fear, before the whispers.
Why the Rumors Spread
The biography paints a chilling portrait of how power corrupts even trust. Aisha, a quiet, disciplined woman who rarely spoke publicly, became the target of palace intrigue. Some aides resented her control over the president’s health. Others feared her political influence. A few, according to Dr. Omole’s sources, actively fed the rumors — hoping her removal would open doors for their own ambitions.
"In Aso Rock," one unnamed official reportedly told the author, "health is politics. If you control the body, you control the mind." Buhari, known for his deep suspicion of Western medicine and his reliance on traditional remedies, was particularly vulnerable to these narratives. He trusted his staff more than his doctors. And he trusted his wife less than he should have.
A Legacy Reclaimed
The biography, spanning 22 chapters from Buhari’s childhood in Daura to his death in a London hospital on July 12, 2025, at age 82, reframes his final years not as a mystery, but as a tragedy of miscommunication. Aisha insists his decline wasn’t the result of foul play — but of neglect. "He didn’t die of illness," she says. "He died because no one listened to the person who knew him best."
Her account also sheds light on the isolation of the presidency. Even surrounded by guards, aides, and advisors, Buhari was alone in his fear. And she, his closest confidante, was the one he doubted most.
What This Means for Nigeria’s Future
The timing of the book’s release — just two days before the current date of December 17, 2025 — is no accident. Nigeria is already gearing up for the 2027 presidential election. Buhari’s legacy is being contested. His party, the APC, is fractured. And now, this intimate story of betrayal within the palace is being used by critics to question the integrity of his administration’s inner circle.
Aisha’s revelation isn’t just personal. It’s political. It shows how fragile leadership can be — not when attacked from outside, but when poisoned from within. The same people who claim to serve the nation were, for a time, willing to destroy its president over gossip.
"He was a soldier," she said at the launch. "But even soldiers need someone to feed them. And sometimes, the only person who can do that is the one they stop trusting."
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused Muhammadu Buhari’s 2017 health crisis?
According to Aisha Buhari’s account in the biography, Buhari’s 154-day medical leave in 2017 was caused not by poisoning or a mysterious illness, but by the disruption of his carefully managed nutritional regimen. After believing rumors that she wanted to harm him, he stopped eating meals she prepared and refused supplements, leading to rapid physical decline. His recovery began only after she discreetly reintroduced hospital-grade supplements into his food and beverages.
Who was responsible for spreading the rumors about Aisha Buhari?
The biography does not name specific individuals, but identifies a pattern of palace intrigue within the Presidential Villa. Aides, security officials, and possibly political rivals resented Aisha’s influence over the president’s health and daily routines. These factions allegedly fed misinformation to exploit Buhari’s natural suspicion and distrust of Western medicine, hoping to weaken her position and gain access to power.
Why did Muhammadu Buhari believe the rumors about his wife?
Buhari had long held deep skepticism toward Western institutions and medical advice, preferring traditional remedies and personal loyalty over expert opinions. In a high-pressure environment like Aso Rock, where loyalty was constantly tested, he was vulnerable to narratives that aligned with his worldview. The whispers about his wife fit a pattern of suspicion he’d cultivated over decades — making it easier for him to believe them, even without evidence.
How did Aisha Buhari restore her husband’s health without his knowledge?
She worked with trusted medical staff to discreetly add hospital-issued supplements into his daily meals — mixing them into his juice, oats, and tea. She avoided direct confrontation, knowing he was emotionally withdrawn. Within three days, he discarded his cane. By the end of the week, he was receiving visitors again. The recovery was swift because the body had simply been starved of nutrients it had relied on for years.
What is the significance of this biography’s release in 2025?
The book’s release comes as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 presidential election, with Buhari’s political legacy under intense scrutiny. By revealing the internal fractures within his administration, Aisha’s account challenges official narratives about his health and leadership. It also humanizes a figure often portrayed as unyielding, exposing the emotional toll of power and the dangers of isolation in high office.
Did Aisha Buhari ever publicly speak about this before?
No. This is the first time Aisha Buhari has spoken in detail about the 2017 crisis or the rumors that targeted her. Throughout her husband’s presidency and even after his death, she maintained a strictly private stance. The biography, authorized by her and based on multiple interviews, represents a major shift — not just in tone, but in historical record.
