July 16, (THEWILL) — Nigerian-American professor and political analyst, Farooq Kperogi, has claimed that former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, was divorced from late President Muhammadu Buhari before his death.
Kperogi made the assertion on Wednesday in reaction to reports that Aisha Buhari claimed her husband had asked her to seek forgiveness from Nigerians on his behalf before his passing.
THEWILL reports that Kperogi’s comments surfaced barely 24 hours after the late President was buried in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, on Tuesday.
Aisha Buhari was present at the funeral, where she was seen visibly emotional as she received condolences from dignitaries, including First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.
In a post shared on his Facebook page, Kperogi alleged that the former presidential couple had long separated, and that Aisha had reverted to her maiden name, Aisha Halilu, prior to Buhari’s death.
“People have been circulating a quote attributed to Aisha Buhari, claiming that Buhari asked her to seek forgiveness from Nigerians on his behalf.
“I can’t confirm the authenticity of that claim, but what I do know is that before Buhari’s death, he and Aisha were no longer married,” he wrote.
“They had divorced, and Aisha reverted to her maiden name, Aisha Halilu,” he added.
Kperogi further noted that Aisha was noticeably absent from Buhari’s retirement in Daura after he left office in May 2023, and that the former President later relocated alone to Kaduna.
He also claimed that when Buhari became critically ill, Aisha reportedly hesitated to travel to London to care for him because she was no longer his wife.
“She eventually went in the last few days before he died, but only after intense persuasion. Even now, during this period of mourning, she seems understandably conflicted about her role,” Kperogi stated.
Questioning the authenticity of the widely circulated quote attributed to Aisha, he concluded:
“So I’m genuinely curious to know when and where Buhari told her to beg Nigerians for forgiveness. Where did she even say this?
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