Farooq Kperogi, a journalism professor at Kennesaw State University, has publicly apologised to former First Lady Aisha Buhari over his recent claim that she was no longer married to the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, July 20, Kperogi described the claim as “one of the worst and cruelest lapses of judgment” he had ever made, admitting that the error had caused him “immense personal anguish.”
“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, in a post dated July 16, alleged that Mrs. Buhari had divorced the former president, reverted to her maiden name, Halilu, and was unwilling to care for him during his final illness.
In his retraction, the professor explained that the story had come from a source he considered highly reliable but that going public with it was a mistake.
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“Going public with the information was an error on my part, as not every well-sourced information is for public consumption,” he stated.
Kperogi said it was Alhaji Sani Zorro, a former aide to the First Lady whom he holds in high esteem, who reached out to set the record straight. He stressed that only Mrs. Buhari had the right to speak about 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 said.
Although he insisted there was no malice intended, Kperogi admitted that the pain his words caused far outweighed any perceived public interest in sharing the claim.
“I shouldn’t have shared it publicly. Period. Doing so violated every moral and ethical principle I cherish and uphold,” he added.