Journalism professor and public affairs analyst, Farooq Kperogi, has issued an apology to former First Lady Aisha Buhari following backlash over his recent Facebook post in which he claimed she had divorced her late husband, former President Muhammadu Buhari, before his death.
In a statement on Saturday titled “Apology to Aisha Buhari,” Kperogi admitted that the post, published on Wednesday, was a serious error in judgement and had caused emotional harm.
Kperogi had claimed that Mrs. Buhari reverted to her maiden name and allegedly distanced herself from her husband during his final days.
He attributed the information to a source he described as having “unimpeachable integrity,” but conceded that publishing the claim was inappropriate.
“Going public with the information was an error on my part, as not every well-sourced information is for public consumption,” Kperogi wrote.
He added that the post has brought him “unfathomable personal anguish.”
The media scholar said he was later contacted by Sani Zorro, former senior special assistant to Aisha Buhari on public affairs, who strongly refuted the claim and conveyed the former First Lady’s position that her marriage to the late president remained intact until his death on December 27, 2023, following a prolonged battle with prostate cancer.
Kperogi acknowledged her authority to define the reality of her marriage, saying, “Mrs. Buhari herself has the ultimate authority and right to define the status of her marriage… Her truth should be respected as supreme, whatever other facts may exist.”
Despite reiterating that his source stands by the information, Kperogi admitted the hurt caused by the publication outweighed its value.
“I shouldn’t have shared it publicly. Period. Doing so violated every moral and ethical principle I cherish and uphold,” he wrote.
He insisted there was no malicious intent behind his initial post and denied acting on political influence or vendetta.
“I sincerely did not intend to harm Mrs. Buhari or execute any personal vendetta,” Kperogi said, before ending the statement with an apology: “To Mrs. Aisha Buhari, I offer my heartfelt apology for the needless and deeply regrettable hurt I have caused. I am truly sorry.”
The retraction comes after days of criticism over the controversial post, which many considered speculative and insensitive, particularly in the wake of the former president’s death.
