US-based Nigerian academic and columnist, Farooq Kperogi, has stirred debate online after claiming that former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, was no longer married to the late President Muhammadu Buhari at the time of his death.
In a Facebook post shared on Wednesday, Kperogi said, “Before Buhari’s death, he and Aisha were no longer married. They had divorced, and Aisha had reverted to her maiden name, Aisha Halilu.”
The journalism professor at Kennesaw State University made the remarks while responding to viral reports that Aisha Buhari had claimed her late husband asked her to seek forgiveness from Nigerians on his behalf.
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“I can’t confirm that quote,” he wrote, “but I’m genuinely curious about when and where Buhari supposedly said this.”
Kperogi pointed to what he described as subtle signs of the couple’s separation. “Aisha didn’t follow him to Daura after he left office. He later moved to Kaduna alone. And when he fell ill, there was hesitation over her traveling to London to care for him. She reportedly only agreed to go in his final days after much persuasion,” he claimed.
The post comes just a day after Buhari’s burial in Daura, Katsina State. Aisha was present at the funeral, where she appeared visibly emotional, receiving condolences alongside her children from dignitaries including First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.
The couple, who married in 1989 and had five children together, faced speculation over their relationship few years ago. In 2019, some reports alleged that Aisha had stayed abroad for months due to reported marrital issues in the Aso Villa. It was during this time that Buhari made his statement “the place of women is in the kitchen.”
