Former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has disclosed that rumours within Aso Rock accusing her of plotting to kill her husband unsettled then President Muhammadu Buhari, disrupted his long-standing feeding routine and contributed significantly to the health crisis that kept him out of the country for months in 2017.
Mrs Buhari made the disclosure in a newly published biography, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, authored by Dr Charles Omole and presented at the State House on Monday.
According to the book, the former First Lady said Buhari briefly accepted the rumours as true, triggering a period of suspicion and fear within the Presidential Villa. She revealed that he began locking his room, altered daily habits and, most importantly, abandoned a strict nutrition schedule she had overseen for years.
“They said I wanted to kill him. My husband believed them for a week or so,” she was quoted as saying. “He started locking his room. Meals were delayed or missed, and the supplements were stopped.”
Mrs Buhari dismissed claims that her husband’s illness was the result of poisoning or an unknown disease, insisting instead that the crisis stemmed from the sudden disruption of a carefully managed feeding and supplement routine.
The biography described Buhari as “a slender man with a long history of malnutrition symptoms,” whose strength depended on precise timing of meals, vitamins and supplements, first managed by his wife in Kaduna and later continued at Aso Rock.
“Elderly bodies require gentle, consistent support,” Mrs Buhari said. “He doesn’t have a chronic illness. Keep him on schedule.”
Ahead of the crisis, she reportedly convened a meeting involving the President’s physician, Dr Suhayb Rafindadi; the Chief Security Officer, Bashir Abubakar; the housekeeper and the Director-General of the Department of State Services to explain the feeding plan.
Dr Omole wrote that the routine included “daily, at specific hours, cups and bowls with tailored vitamin powders and oils, a touch of protein here, a change to cereals there.”
However, the arrangement collapsed amid what Mrs Buhari described as fear-mongering and internal intrigue within the Presidency.
“For a year, he did not have lunch. They mismanaged his meals,” she said.
The decline eventually led to Buhari’s prolonged medical visits to the United Kingdom in 2017, totalling 154 days, during which he formally transferred power to then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. On his return, Buhari admitted he had “never been so ill” and confirmed that he received blood transfusions.
In London, doctors reportedly reinforced the nutritional approach with stronger supplements. Mrs Buhari said Buhari was initially reluctant to take them, prompting her to personally supervise his intake.
“She took charge of his welfare, slipping hospital-issued supplements into his juice and oats,” the book stated.
According to Mrs Buhari, the improvement was swift. “After just three days, he threw away the stick he was walking with. After a week, he was receiving relatives.”
She maintained that the episode highlighted the central role nutrition played in both the onset and recovery from the illness. “That was the genesis, and also the reversal of his sickness,” she said.
The biography also highlighted an atmosphere of mistrust within the Presidency. Mrs Buhari alleged that the President’s office was bugged and private conversations replayed, creating fear and psychological strain which, she said, contributed to his declining health.
She dismissed long-standing claims that Buhari had a body double, popularly known as “Jibril of Sudan,” describing them as baseless and blaming poor government communication for allowing conspiracy theories to spread.
Dr Omole noted that while Buhari’s repeated treatment in the UK drew criticism over Nigeria’s healthcare system, a more compassionate assessment recognised the specialised care required by an ageing leader after decades of underinvestment in the sector.
He added that Buhari’s consistent practice of handing over power during medical absences reflected respect for constitutional order, even during personal health challenges.
The biography traces Buhari’s life from his childhood in Daura, Katsina State, through his military and political career, to his final days in a London hospital in mid-July 2025.
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