Former First Lady Aisha Buhari has said she resisted attempts by what she described as a powerful cabal living in Aso Villa to push her and her children out of the presidential residence during her husband’s time in office.
She also said some influential individuals took advantage of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s attachment to his extended family and old friends to manipulate him, to the detriment of his administration.
These revelations are contained in a biography titled “From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari,” authored by Dr Charles Omole.
The book was launched at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, with President Bola Tinubu and his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in attendance.
According to the book, Aisha Buhari offered her strongest reflections on what she identified as a major weakness of the Buhari administration, the failure to decisively remove non performing officials.
She also warned President Tinubu not to repeat the same mistake.
The book stated, “If the 2017 crisis began in a kitchen, its broader stage was the house where that kitchen was situated. Aso Villa is not merely a home, but an ecosystem. In Aisha’s account, the house quickly filled with relatives and their wives and grandchildren, as well as courtiers and staff who learned the shortcuts and shadows. They fried to push everybody out, including me,’ she says.
“It is a blunt statement, and she knows it sounds blunt. But she stands firm on her boundaries: ‘This is my house. You can live wherever you like, but you cannot be in charge of my husband’s office and then also be in charge of me, his wife, inside my house.’”
It further stated that with most of her children living and studying abroad early in Buhari’s first term, extended family members moved into houses across the Villa.
“And because of his fondness and attachment to his extended family and old friends, Buhari was vulnerable to all kinds of scheming and manipulations. Those who knew his weaknesses exploited them to the detriment of the lofty goals of his administration,” the book said.
Mrs Buhari was quoted as saying that some relatives of the president, despite having no official roles, tried to influence access to the Villa.
She added that people who stood by her husband during his years in opposition were no longer seen, while familiar faces were “locked out” and their names allegedly logged by security agents and reported elsewhere.
“When she privately raised these concerns and saw no change, she spoke publicly,” the book revealed.
She also argued that a combination of ageing, fear of public perception and emotional manipulation by close aides prevented Buhari from enforcing performance standards.
According to her, the former president’s hesitation was partly rooted in sympathy.
“As you age, performance changes,” she said, noting that Buhari often felt sorry for appointees who were struggling in office.
She also quoted him as saying, “If I remove him, they will say I am this and that,” explaining that his fear of being labelled a dictator again became a shield for mediocrity.
Mrs Buhari said the familiar phrase “the devil you know” was used to justify retaining failing officials, even when policy execution stalled.
She stated that her own rule was clear. If an official “eats” but delivers at least 50 percent, tolerate him. If he “eats” and does nothing, remove him.
According to the book, the family quietly agreed that Buhari’s refusal to sack non performers became a structural flaw of his administration.
This, she said, was worsened by advisers and relatives who used flattery, emotional pressure and delay tactics to turn loyalty into a shield against accountability.
Aisha Buhari also recounted how security officials once suggested she temporarily leave Abuja for Daura so investigations into certain close associates could proceed without interference.
She said she refused.
She added that shortly after, Buhari withdrew emotionally and began speaking and eating less.
Even after leaving office, she claimed Buhari privately asked President Tinubu not to probe some of his kinsmen because he still relied on them for personal needs.
For her, the episode showed what she described as the danger of emotional dependence at the highest level of power.
