For eight years, Buhari was surrounded by unsuitable individuals in positions of influence — Former First Lady Aisha Buhari

For eight years, Buhari was surrounded by unsuitable individuals in positions of influence — Former First Lady Aisha Buhari

The former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, delivered a stark assessment of her late husband, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year administration.

Her remarks were published in a book titled *From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari*, authored by Dr. Charles Omole and launched at the State House Banquet Hall on Monday. In the book, Mrs. Buhari detailed how the former president was effectively controlled by a select group of elderly relatives and elites, whom she characterized as “a mafia of a certain kind, leveraging native intelligence for personal gain.”

Chapter 22, subtitled *Revelations at Last after the Silence: Aisha Buhari’s Account of the Villa and the Men who fought a Presidency*, provides a detailed narrative of how key figures instrumental to Buhari’s 2015 electoral success were sidelined in favor of an inner circle that dictated appointments and policy.

Mrs. Buhari’s challenges escalated in 2017, midway through the president’s first term, when influential figures—concerned that her assertive personality might overshadow them—attempted to remove her from the State House.

According to her account, the residence became overrun with relatives, courtiers, and staff who manipulated access and influence.

“They sought to exclude everyone, myself included,” she stated.

Her remarks are direct, and she acknowledges their bluntness. Nonetheless, she maintains her position: *”This is my residence. You may reside wherever you choose, but you will not control my husband’s office while simultaneously dictating affairs within my home.”*

With most of her children abroad for their education, extended family members occupied residences within the Presidential Villa early in Buhari’s tenure. The president’s deep-seated loyalty to family and longtime associates left him susceptible to manipulation, with opportunistic individuals exploiting these vulnerabilities to the detriment of his administration’s objectives.

Mrs. Buhari describes a precarious dynamic wherein the president, as a public figure, becomes “common property.” Unofficial relatives influenced access, while former allies—once integral during Buhari’s years in opposition—were systematically excluded, their movements allegedly monitored by security personnel.

After privately voicing concerns to no avail, she opted for public criticism. She recalls her dismay at the composition of the 2015-16 ministerial appointments, where campaign loyalists were overlooked in favor of technocrats aligned with competing factions—widening the gap between the administration’s initial promise and its execution.

*”They possessed financial resources and political networks, but lacked the authority to install a president,”* she reflects, with evident irony. *”They reduced national governance to the confines of a parlor meeting.”*

She attributes the public discontent and harsh appraisal of Buhari’s tenure to this cabal’s dominance.

Her critique of this inner circle is unequivocal: some pursued proximity for material gain—wealth, influence, or contracts—without grasping the distinction between power as responsibility and the privileges of access.

The consequences were tangible: erratic schedules, exclusion of allies, unsubstantiated rumors of forged signatures, and a president hesitant to dismiss underperforming officials for fear of being labeled authoritarian.

*”He retained unsuitable individuals in critical roles,”* she asserts. *”For eight years, he failed to replace them.”*

The book also explains Mrs. Buhari’s rationale for endorsing incumbent President Bola Tinubu as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in 2023, countering efforts by the cabal to install a northern successor.