Salim Sani Shehu
Farooq Kperogi, a U.S.-based Nigerian journalism professor at Kennesaw State University, has apologized to former First Lady Aisha Buhari over a Facebook post in which he claimed she had divorced the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement released days after the post triggered public reaction, Kperogi admitted the July 16 post titled “Aisha Buhari, Divorce, and Forgiveness Claim” was a serious error in judgment.
“Although I absolutely should have foreseen it, I honestly didn’t anticipate the profoundly painful consequences that my July 16 Facebook update would have on former First Lady Mrs. Aisha Buhari and people closest to her,” he wrote.
Calling it “one of the worst and cruelest lapses of judgement” he has made, Kperogi said the post caused him “unfathomable personal anguish.”
In the post, he had claimed Aisha Buhari was no longer married to the former president and had reverted to her maiden name, Halilu. He also alleged she had declined to travel to London to care for Buhari during his illness.
Kperogi said the information came from a source “whose integrity is unimpeachable.”
“My source insists the information is accurate, but never intended for it to become public. Going public with the information was an error on my part, as not every well-sourced information is for public consumption,” he said.
Kperogi added that Alhaji Sani Zorro, former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the First Lady, reached out to challenge the accuracy of the claims.
“I will not contest the particulars and veracity of the information with Alhaji Sani who conveyed the former First Lady’s position that her marriage was intact. After all, as the late MKO Abiola memorably said, no one can give you a haircut in your absence,” he noted.
He stated that only Mrs. Buhari has the right to speak on the state of her marriage, adding, “her truth should be respected as supreme.”
While denying any malicious intent, Kperogi said the damage caused by the post outweighed any value it might have had.
“The truth of this information is now far less significant than the hurt my disclosure of it has caused. I shouldn’t have shared it publicly. Period. Doing so violated every moral and ethical principle I cherish and uphold. But it shows I am only human, an imperfect human,” he said.
“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 added.
Kperogi’s post went viral just three days after Buhari’s death, stirring reactions across political and social platforms.
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