Nigerian journalist and public affairs commentator, Farooq Kperogi, has issued a public apology to former First Lady Aisha Buhari over a controversial Facebook post in which he claimed she divorced the late President Muhammadu Buhari before his death.
In a statement released on Sunday, titled “Apology to Aisha Buhari,” Kperogi described his July 16 post, “Aisha Buhari, Divorce, and Forgiveness Claim,” as a serious lapse in judgment that caused emotional distress to Mrs. Buhari and those close to her.
“Although I absolutely should have foreseen it, I honestly didn’t anticipate the profoundly painful consequences… It’s one of the worst and cruelest lapses of judgement I have ever committed in my life,” he wrote.
Kperogi revealed that the claim originated from a trusted source, whose credibility he still maintains. However, he admitted that publishing the information was a mistake, as it was never meant for public release.
“Going public with the information was an error on my part, as not every well-sourced information is for public consumption,” he added.
The professor also disclosed that Sani Zorro, former Senior Special Assistant to the First Lady on Public Affairs, reached out to challenge the claim and conveyed Mrs. Buhari’s position that her marriage to the late president remained intact until his passing.
“I will not contest the particulars… Mrs. Buhari herself has the ultimate authority and right to define the status of her marriage.”
While reaffirming that he believed the information to be credible, Kperogi acknowledged that the harm caused by sharing it far outweighed its significance.
“I shouldn’t have shared it publicly. Period. Doing so violated every moral and ethical principle I cherish and uphold.”
He concluded by emphasizing that his actions were not motivated by malice or political agendas.
“I sincerely did not intend to harm Mrs. Buhari or execute any personal vendetta,” he said.
