Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - Aisha Buhari, widow of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, has revealed that her husband retained many of his appointees during his time in office out of concern that he would be labelled a dictator.
She made the disclosure in a book titled “From Soldier to
Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari”, which was presented at the
Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, December 16. The book, written by Dr
Charles Omole, documents Buhari’s life story, his years in the military, and
his transition into democratic politics.
In her account, Aisha Buhari recalled that shortly after her
husband assumed office, noticeable changes occurred within the Presidential
Villa. She said individuals who stood by Buhari throughout his long period in
opposition gradually disappeared from the corridors of power, noting that
“familiar faces are ‘locked out,’ their names allegedly logged by security
agents and reported elsewhere.”
She explained that after privately raising her concerns
without seeing any improvement, she decided to speak out publicly. Describing
the situation, she wrote of “campaign stalwarts on the outside; technocrats and
loyalists of others on the inside; a growing gap between the promise of a
movement and the reality of a government.” Reflecting on the political dynamics
at the time, she added, “They had money; they had people; but they did not have
the power to install a president. They reduced Nigeria to a sitting-room
meeting.”
Aisha Buhari further lamented that some individuals around
her husband were more interested in personal gain than service. She said, “Some
followed him (Buhari) to obtain material things (money, access, contracts) and
could not distinguish between ‘power’ (purpose, responsibility) and the rewards
that proximity provides.”
According to her, these dynamics had visible consequences
within the presidency, including shifting schedules, exclusion of allies,
rumours of forged signatures, and an atmosphere of distrust. She noted that
Buhari’s reluctance to be perceived as authoritarian prevented him from
removing underperforming officials, stating that “a president who feared being
called a dictator hesitated to dismiss men who disappointed him.”
Summing up her assessment of his administration, she
concluded, “He had the wrong people in the right places. He didn’t change them
for eight years.”
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