By Charles Pemu 
Former First Lady Dr. Aisha Buhari has offered a provocative and deeply personal account of the health challenges that nearly claimed the life of her husband, former President Muhammadu Buhari, during his first term in office. Breaking years of silence on the specifics of the 2017 medical emergency, she revealed that the crisis was neither a mysterious ailment nor the result of foul play, but rather a consequence of chronic malnutrition exacerbated by the interference of powerful presidential aides.
The revelations are contained in a new biography titled “From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari,” authored by Dr. Charles Omole and launched on Monday at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. In the book, Aisha Buhari describes how a meticulously managed dietary routine she had established over years in Kaduna was systematically dismantled by “the presidency’s machinery” once they relocated to Aso Villa.
The former First Lady recounted a pivotal moment when she was allegedly informed that the President had become “State Property” and was no longer under her personal care. This shift in authority led to the dismissal of her carefully curated nutritional regime, which consisted of tailored vitamin powders, specific oils, and protein-rich supplements designed to support an elderly immune system. She noted that her husband had a long history of malnutrition symptoms and that she had essentially cared for his dietary needs with the precision one would afford a child.
Once the Villa’s personal staff took control, however, the domestic routine collapsed. Aisha Buhari alleges that the kitchen went “off-script,” with meals being missed or delayed to the point where the President went an entire year without eating lunch. She maintains that this nutritional mismanagement was the primary driver behind his drastic weight loss and subsequent physical collapse, rather than any exotic fever or covert plot as speculated by the public at the time.
Beyond the physical toll, the book paints a startling picture of psychological warfare within the seat of power. Aisha Buhari claims that the same personal staff who overran her nutritional regime began planting seeds of suspicion in her husband’s mind. She detailed painful memories of aides suggesting to the President that his wife intended to harm him, leading to a period of deep domestic friction.
The former First Lady stated that these “powerful individuals” so polluted the President’s mind that he began changing his small habits and even resorted to locking his bedroom door to prevent her from having access to him. She described feeling more wounded than angry by these developments, which she believes were calculated moves to distance her from the President and undermine her influence over his well-being.
Validation from London Physicians
Aisha Buhari’s account concludes with a sense of vindication regarding her husband’s eventual recovery. She noted that when the President was finally flown to London for emergency treatment in 2017, the medical team in the United Kingdom prescribed a regime of high-potency supplements that was even more rigorous than the one she had originally implemented. This medical intervention, she argues, confirmed that his primary ailment was a lack of consistent, gentle support for his aging body.
The biography offers a rare glimpse into the intense internal politics of the Nigerian Presidency, illustrating how the intersection of public duty and private health can become a battleground for influence. By refuting rumors of poisoning, Aisha Buhari has reframed the narrative of her husband’s presidency as one where the “heart of the home”—the kitchen—was weaponized by political actors to the detriment of the nation’s leader.