The late President Muhammadu Buhari began locking his room following rumors in Aso Rock that his wife, former First Lady Aisha Buhari, planned to harm him.
She explained that his 2017 health crisis, which led to 154 days of medical leave, was caused by a disrupted feeding routine and mismanaged nutrition, not a mysterious illness or poisoning.
Her account appears in the 600-page biography From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari by Dr. Charles Omole, launched at the State House.
The biography traces his life from early years in Daura, Katsina State, to his final moments in a London hospital in mid-July 2025.
It highlights Mrs. Buhari’s long-standing role in managing her husband’s meals and supplements at precise times, a routine she said helped “a slender man with a long history of malnutrition symptoms” maintain his strength.
Reflecting on the importance of this care, she recalled, “Elderly bodies require gentle, consistent support. He doesn’t have a chronic illness—just keep him on schedule.
Aisha Buhari explained that her husband’s 2017 health crisis was not caused by a mysterious illness or a plot, but by the disruption of his established nutrition routine.
She had long overseen his meals and supplements, carefully managing vitamins, oils, proteins, and cereals to support his health.
Upon moving to Aso Villa, she convened key staff—including his physician, the CSO, housekeeper, and the SSS DG—to maintain this regimen.
However, the routine broke down amid gossip and fearmongering that she intended to harm him. For about a week, President Buhari believed these claims, began locking his room, altered small habits, and most importantly, missed meals and supplements, which contributed to his health decline.
She added that for an entire year, he went without lunch and that his meals had been poorly managed.
Buhari’s health deterioration reached a peak with two extended medical trips to the United Kingdom in 2017, totaling 154 days, during which he handed over authority to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Upon his return, he admitted he had “never been so ill” and had undergone blood transfusions. His prolonged absences, Omole wrote, “sparked rumours, speculation, and even conspiracy theories.”
Mrs. Buhari dismissed claims that anyone had attempted to poison her husband, insisting that the true cause of the crisis was the disruption of his routine.
In London, doctors recommended an even more intensive regimen of supplements to aid his recovery, Omole added.
The book recounts that Buhari’s health crisis deepened when he became fearful and stopped taking his prescribed supplements, prompting his wife to personally oversee his care by discreetly administering them.
The recovery was rapid: within days he regained strength, abandoned his walking aid, and soon resumed receiving visitors—an episode she described as both the origin and the reversal of his illness.
Omole notes that critics viewed Buhari’s dependence on UK hospitals as evidence of Nigeria’s weakened health system, while a more sympathetic reading acknowledges the need for specialized care for an ageing leader after decades of underinvestment at home.
He adds that Buhari consistently transferred authority to his deputy during absences, preserving institutional order. The account also highlights a broader atmosphere of mistrust surrounding the Presidency.
It was alleged that the President’s office was bugged with listening devices and that his private conversations were played back, creating fear and suspicion around him.
According to Mrs Buhari, this atmosphere affected him deeply and “contributed to taking his life.”
She also rejected the long-standing claim that Buhari had a body double, widely known as “Jibril of Sudan,” calling it nonsense. She said weak communication by the government allowed simple, harmless issues to grow into conspiracy theories.