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Former First Lady Aisha Buhari has disclosed that rumours within the Presidential Villa once led her late husband, Muhammadu Buhari, to suspect that she planned to harm him.
She said the development disrupted his feeding routine and contributed to the health crisis that kept him away from office for months in 2017.
Her account is contained in a newly published biography titled From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari.
The book, authored by Charles Omole, was launched at the State House on Monday.
According to the book, Mrs Buhari said gossip and fear mongering within Aso Rock briefly created mistrust between her and the President.
She said it caused him to alter his personal habits, including locking his room and missing meals.
The former first lady said the disruption of a carefully managed nutrition schedule marked the beginning of his illness.
Mrs Buhari explained that for years she had personally supervised Buhari’s meals and supplements, a routine she said was necessary to support his health.
“This is given his long history of nutritional challenges. Buhari’s illnesses were neither mysterious nor the result of poisoning”, she said.
The book stated that after relocating from Kaduna to the Presidential Villa, responsibility for Buhari’s feeding routine shifted to official handlers, leading to delays, skipped meals and the suspension of prescribed supplements.
According to Aisha in the book, for nearly a year, the President did not take lunch regularly, adding that the breakdown in dietary management weakened him significantly.
She said the deterioration eventually led to Buhari’s prolonged medical trips to the United Kingdom in 2017, totalling 154 days, during which he transferred presidential authority to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Upon his return, Buhari publicly admitted that he had never been so ill and confirmed receiving blood transfusions during treatment abroad.
The biography noted that his absence from the country fuelled widespread speculation and conspiracy theories, including claims of poisoning and allegations that he had been replaced by a body double.
Mrs Buhari dismissed such claims as false and insisted that the root of the crisis was the loss of a consistent nutrition routine.
She said doctors in London prescribed an intensified feeding and supplement plan, which she personally ensured was followed.
According to the book, Buhari’s recovery was swift once the regimen was restored, with Mrs Buhari noting that within days he regained strength and resumed receiving visitors.
The author also addressed criticism of Buhari’s reliance on foreign medical care, arguing that specialised treatment for an elderly patient may not always be readily available locally due to years of underinvestment in Nigeria’s health sector.
The book also detailed claims by Mrs Buhari of a climate of mistrust within the Presidency, including alleged surveillance and the bugging of private conversations, which she said contributed to anxiety during his final years.
