Former First Lady Aisha Buhari has revealed that her late husband, former President Muhammadu Buhari, began locking his room after rumours circulated within Aso Rock suggesting she was plotting to harm him.

She also clarified that Buhari’s health challenges, which led to a 154-day medical leave in 2017, were not due to poisoning or any mysterious ailment, but rather stemmed from a disrupted nutrition and meal routine.

The revelations appear in a newly released 600-page biography, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, authored by Dr. Charles Omole, which was launched on Monday at the State House.

The biography, spanning 22 chapters, traces Buhari’s life from his early years in Daura, Katsina State, to his final days in a London hospital in mid-July 2025.

According to Aisha Buhari, she had long overseen her husband’s meals and supplements on a strict schedule, a routine essential for maintaining his health:

“Elderly bodies require gentle, consistent support. He doesn’t have a chronic illness. Keep him on schedule,” she said.

She explained that the 2017 health crisis began when this nutrition routine was disrupted:

“Loss of a routine, ‘my nutrition,’ was the genesis of the crisis,” she said, adding that meals were delayed or missed and supplements stopped, leading to a prolonged decline.

The book details how Buhari, influenced by circulating gossip, believed for a week that Aisha intended to harm him, leading him to lock his room and change his habits. The disruption ultimately necessitated two extended medical stays in the United Kingdom, during which Vice President Yemi Osinbajo assumed presidential powers.

Aisha Buhari dismissed allegations of poisoning and emphasised that careful, consistent nutrition and supplements—administered by her even in the hospital—were key to her husband’s recovery:

“After just three days, he threw away the stick he was walking with. After a week, he was receiving relatives,” she recounted.

The biography also exposes a climate of mistrust within the Presidency. Mrs Buhari alleged surveillance and bugging of the President’s office, suggesting fear and anxiety contributed to his health decline. She also refuted rumours about Buhari having a body double, popularly referred to as “Jibril of Sudan,” calling the claim absurd and attributing it to poor government communication.

Dr. Omole noted that while Buhari’s reliance on UK hospitals drew criticism, a more compassionate view recognises that specialised care for an elderly leader is sometimes necessary due to decades of underinvestment in Nigeria’s healthcare system.

The biography highlights Buhari’s habit of temporarily handing power to his deputy during absences, ensuring institutional propriety even amid personal health crises.