Divorce: US-based professor apologises over claim on Aisha Buhari

United States-based Nigerian academic and media scholar, Professor Farooq Kperogi, has publicly apologised for a controversial claim suggesting that former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, was no longer married to the late President Muhammadu Buhari before his death.

Kperogi, who teaches Journalism and Emerging Media at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, made the claim in a Facebook post last Wednesday. His remarks came in response to reports that Aisha Buhari had said her husband asked her to seek forgiveness from Nigerians on his behalf.

“I can’t verify the authenticity of that statement, but what I do know is that before Buhari’s death, he and Aisha were no longer married. They had divorced, and she resumed using her maiden name, Aisha Halilu,” Kperogi wrote at the time.

However, in a follow-up post published on Sunday, July 20, Kperogi expressed regret over his earlier comments and offered an apology.
“To Mrs. Aisha Buhari, I offer my heartfelt and unreserved apology for the needless and deeply regrettable hurt I have caused. I am truly sorry,” he stated.

While clarifying that he harbored no personal grudge against Mrs. Buhari and did not act out of malice or under any influence, Kperogi admitted that some might still find that hard to believe.

He added: “Although I absolutely should have foreseen it, I honestly didn’t anticipate the profoundly painful consequences that my July 16 Facebook update titled ‘Aisha Buhari, Divorce, and Forgiveness Claim’ would have on former First Lady Mrs. Aisha Buhari and people closest to her.

“It’s one of the worst and cruelest lapses of judgement I have ever committed in my life, and it has been a source of unfathomable personal anguish for me these past few days.”

According to Kperogi, the information originated from a source he described as trustworthy. However, he admitted that sharing it publicly was a misstep.

“My source, whose integrity is unimpeachable, insists the information is accurate, but never intended for it to become public. Going public with the information was an error on my part, as not every well-sourced information is for public consumption.”

He also mentioned that Alhaji Sani Zorro, a former Senior Special Assistant to the First Lady on Public Affairs, contacted him to dispute the claim.

“I will not contest the particulars and veracity of the information with Alhaji Sani who conveyed the former First Lady’s position that her marriage was intact. After all, as the late MKO Abiola memorably said, no one can give you a haircut in your absence.

“Clearly, Mrs. Buhari herself has the ultimate authority and right to define the status of her marriage with her late husband. Her truth should be respected as supreme, whatever other facts may exist.

“Moreover, the truth of this information is now far less significant than the hurt my disclosure of it has caused. I shouldn’t have shared it publicly. Period. Doing so violated every moral and ethical principle I cherish and uphold. But it shows I am only human, an imperfect human.”