Aisha Buhari revealed that the gossip suggested she intended to kill the President, a claim she said deeply affected him and disrupted the strict nutrition schedule she had maintained for years. She explained that Buhari stopped following the meal and supplement routine she had designed to support his health, noting that meals were delayed, missed, or entirely discontinued.

The former First Lady made the revelations in a newly released 600-page biography titled From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, authored by Charles Omole and launched at the State House. In the account, she dismissed claims that Buhari’s 2017 health crisis was caused by poisoning or a mysterious illness, insisting instead that it began with the breakdown of his nutrition regimen.

She explained that Buhari, whom she described as naturally slender with a long history of malnutrition-related symptoms, depended on a disciplined schedule of meals and supplements to maintain his strength. According to her, elderly bodies require consistent and gentle care, stressing that her husband had no chronic illness before the routine was disrupted.

Aisha Buhari recounted that before relocating to Aso Rock, she personally supervised Buhari’s meals and supplements in Kaduna. Upon moving into the Villa, she convened meetings with close aides, including medical personnel and security officials, to explain the feeding plan, which involved specific meals, vitamin powders, oils, cereals, and protein administered at fixed hours.

However, she said the arrangement eventually collapsed after fear and rumours took hold within the Villa. She disclosed that Buhari believed the allegations against her for about a week, during which he altered his habits, locked his room, and stopped taking meals and supplements. She added that for nearly a year, Buhari reportedly did not take lunch regularly due to what she described as poor meal management.

The situation worsened and culminated in Buhari’s prolonged medical trips to the United Kingdom in 2017, which lasted a combined 154 days and saw him temporarily hand over power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Upon his return, Buhari reportedly admitted that he had never been so ill and that he received blood transfusions during treatment.

The biography noted that Buhari’s absence from the country fueled widespread rumours, speculation, and conspiracy theories. Aisha Buhari firmly rejected claims that there were plots to poison her husband, reiterating that the true cause of his illness was the loss of nutritional discipline.

In London, doctors reportedly prescribed a more intensive supplement regimen. Initially hesitant and fearful, Buhari allegedly struggled to take the supplements as directed, prompting his wife to personally oversee his care by discreetly administering the prescribed supplements with his meals.

According to her account, Buhari’s recovery was rapid. She said that within days, he abandoned the walking stick he had been using, and within a week, he was strong enough to receive visitors and family members. She described this moment as both the beginning and the reversal of his sickness.

The author further noted that while critics viewed Buhari’s reliance on foreign medical care as a reflection of Nigeria’s weak health system, a more empathetic perspective acknowledges the challenges of providing specialised care for an elderly man after decades of underinvestment in healthcare infrastructure.