Farooq Kperogi Apologizes to Aisha Buhari Over False Divorce Claim

Professor Farooq Kperogi, a Nigerian-born academic and media scholar at Kennesaw State University, has publicly apologized to former First Lady Aisha Buhari over a recent claim he made suggesting she was no longer married to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday, July 20, Kperogi described the incident as “one of the worst and cruelest lapses of judgment” he has ever committed, admitting it had caused him deep personal regret.

“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 wrote.

Kperogi had earlier alleged in a July 16 post that the former First Lady had divorced the late president, reverted to her maiden name Halilu, and was unwilling to care for him during his illness.

However, in his retraction, he clarified that while the information came from what he believed to be a credible and trusted source, going public with it was a grave misjudgment. “Not every well-sourced information is for public consumption,” he admitted.

He further revealed that it was a former aide to the First Lady, Alhaji Sani Zorro, who contacted him to set the record straight. Kperogi emphasized that only Mrs. Buhari holds the right to speak on the status of her marriage.

“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,” he stated.

Though he insisted there was no malice behind his post, the professor conceded that any justification for sharing the claim publicly could not outweigh the pain it caused.

“I shouldn’t have shared it publicly. Period. Doing so violated every moral and ethical principle I cherish and uphold,” he said.