Aisha Buhari Reveals Truth Behind Late President’s 2017 Health Crisis and Aso Rock Gossip
Former First Lady Aisha Buhari has opened up in a new biography about the circumstances that led to late President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2017 health crisis, dismissing long-held rumors of poisoning or secret plots against him.
In the 600-page biography, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, authored by Dr. Charles Omole and launched at the State House on Monday, Mrs. Buhari gives a detailed account of her husband’s health struggles and the role of mismanaged routines in the crisis.
According to the book, Buhari’s 154-day medical leave in 2017 began not from a mysterious ailment but from a disruption of his carefully supervised nutrition. Mrs. Buhari, who had long overseen the President’s meals and supplements, said even minor changes in his regimen—missed meals, delayed supplements—had a major impact on his wellbeing.
“Elderly bodies require gentle, consistent support,” she recalled. “He doesn’t have a chronic illness. Keep him on schedule.”
The biography paints a vivid picture of the meticulous care she provided: cups and bowls of tailored vitamins and oils, small protein boosts, and carefully selected cereals—all designed to keep Buhari, who had a long history of malnutrition, healthy and strong.
The routine, however, faltered amid gossip and fearmongering in Aso Rock, which suggested that Mrs. Buhari had intended to harm her husband.
“They said I wanted to kill him,” she said. “My husband believed them for a week or so. He began locking his room, changing small habits, and crucially, meals were delayed or missed; the supplements were stopped.”
The breakdown in routine ultimately led to Buhari’s prolonged medical trips to the United Kingdom, where he received specialized care, including blood transfusions. Upon his return, he admitted he had “never been so ill.”
Mrs. Buhari described her intervention in London as pivotal. She carefully integrated hospital-prescribed supplements into his daily meals, and within days, the former President began walking without aid and receiving visitors again.
The biography also sheds light on the climate of mistrust within the Presidency at the time. Mrs. Buhari alleged that Buhari’s offices were under surveillance, private conversations were being monitored, and fear permeated daily life in Aso Rock. She also dismissed long-standing rumors of a presidential body double, calling them absurd and a result of poor communication.
Dr. Omole’s book emphasizes that Buhari’s health crisis was a matter of disrupted care rather than conspiracy, highlighting how a structured routine can make a critical difference for elderly patients. It also notes Buhari’s consistent practice of delegating authority to his deputy, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, during his absences—ensuring institutional stability even amid personal health challenges.
“Loss of a routine, ‘my nutrition,’ was the genesis of the crisis,” Mrs. Buhari said, “and also its reversal.”
The biography not only chronicles Buhari’s early life in Daura, Katsina State, but also provides an intimate account of his final days in a London hospital in mid-July 2025, offering a nuanced view of the man behind the presidency. 
