Details have emerged on how rumours within the Presidential Villa disrupted the feeding routine of former President Muhammadu Buhari and worsened the health crisis that kept him away from office for 154 days in 2017, according to a new biography.
The revelations were attributed to former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, in From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, a 600 page biography written by Dr Charles Omole and unveiled at the State House on Monday.
In the book, Mrs Buhari dismissed long standing claims that her husband’s illness was caused by poisoning or a mysterious ailment, insisting that the crisis began when his carefully managed nutrition plan broke down after they moved into Aso Rock.
She was quoted as saying that rumours circulating within the Villa, which alleged that she intended to harm the President, created fear and mistrust that affected his daily routine, including his meals and supplements.
According to her account, the late President began locking his room for a period after believing the gossip, while his feeding schedule was altered, delayed or completely missed.
“My husband believed them for about a week. Meals were delayed or missed and the supplements were stopped,” she said.
Mrs Buhari explained that she had personally supervised Buhari’s meals and supplements for years, describing him as a slender man with a long history of malnutrition symptoms who depended on strict routines to maintain strength.
She said the problem started when the Presidency took over their private lives and the established nutrition plan was no longer followed consistently.
“For a year, he did not have lunch. They mismanaged his meals,” she added.
The book noted that Buhari’s condition deteriorated, leading to two extended medical trips to the United Kingdom in 2017, during which he temporarily handed over power to then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Upon his return, Buhari publicly admitted that he had never been so ill and that he received blood transfusions during treatment.
Omole wrote that Buhari’s prolonged absence fuelled rumours, speculation and conspiracy theories, including claims of poisoning and the existence of a body double, which Mrs Buhari strongly dismissed as false.
In London, doctors reportedly placed Buhari on a stronger nutrition and supplement regimen, with Mrs Buhari taking charge to ensure compliance.
She recalled that his recovery was rapid once the routine was restored, saying that within days he abandoned the walking stick he had been using and began receiving visitors.
“That was the genesis, and also the reversal of his sickness,” she said.
The biography also touched on a climate of mistrust within the Presidency, with Mrs Buhari alleging surveillance, bugging of offices and playback of private conversations, which she suggested contributed to fear and stress around the President.
Omole, however, argued that Buhari’s reliance on overseas medical care reflected the realities of ageing and Nigeria’s underinvested health system, not a lack of patriotism.
He added that Buhari’s decision to formally transfer power during medical absences demonstrated respect for constitutional order and institutional stability, even during personal health challenges.
