Prominent Nigerian academic and columnist, Farooq Kperogi, has tendered an unreserved apology to former First Lady Mrs. Aisha Buhari over a controversial Facebook post he made on July 16, which he now admits caused her significant distress.
The post, titled โAisha Buhari, Divorce, and Forgiveness Claim,โ sparked widespread reactions after it suggested a strain in the late President Muhammadu Buhariโs marriage to Aisha Buhariโa claim Kperogi now concedes should never have been made public.
In a remorseful statement, Kperogi described the post as โone of the worst and cruelest lapses of judgmentโ in his life, admitting it has brought him โunfathomable personal anguishโ in recent days.
โAlthough I absolutely should have foreseen it, I honestly didnโt anticipate the profoundly painful consequences my update would have on Mrs. Aisha Buhari and people closest to her,โ he wrote.
While Kperogi maintained that his source for the information remains credible, he accepted full responsibility for making it public, admitting that โnot every well-sourced information is for public consumption.โ
The former Special Adviser to the First Lady on Public Affairs, Alhaji Sani Zorro, reportedly reached out to Kperogi to question the accuracy of the claims and to affirm on Mrs. Buhariโs behalf that her marriage remained intact until President Buhariโs death.
โI will not contest the particulars and veracity of the information with Alhaji Sani,โ Kperogi said. โAfter all, as the late MKO Abiola memorably said, no one can give you a haircut in your absence.โ
He emphasized that Mrs. Buhari reserves the sole right to define and speak to the status of her marriage. โHer truth should be respected as supreme,โ he added.
While noting that he had no malicious intent or external influence, Kperogi said he now recognizes that the impact of his disclosure far outweighed its factual basis.
โTo Mrs. Aisha Buhari, I offer my heartfelt and unreserved apology for the needless and deeply regrettable hurt I have caused. I am truly sorry,โ he concluded.
