A claim that Aisha Buhari, widow of the late former president Muhammadu Buhari, said her husband had died since 2017 has surfaced online.
The claim was made in a Facebook post shared in a group called Kano Online Marketing by a user identified as Faith Abdulkadiri.
The post included a screenshot of an X post purportedly from Aisha Buhari, alongside her image. According to the post, the former First Lady posted the quote on X earlier on Monday, July 14.
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The text in the alleged post reads:
“I’ve kept quiet for too long. The man proclaimed dead yesterday is not my husband. Buhari died in 2017. The rest is Nollywood. Nigerians, keep deceiving yourselves.”.
The post was alongside a caption which read:
Aisha Buhari is the widow of late Muhammadu Buhari and served as Nigeria’s First Lady from 2015 to 2023. She is a beauty therapist, entrepreneur, and advocate for women and children’s welfare, known for her Future Assured initiative.
CLAIM
Aisha Buhari says her husband, late former President Muhammadu Buhari, died in 2017.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE!
When The FactCheckHub searched for the alleged post on Aisha Buhari’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, multiple profiles bearing her name appeared.
However, a review of the accounts, based on follower count, usernames, bios, profile photos, post history, and engagement, showed that they were all parody or impersonation accounts.
A closer examination of the screenshot attached to the claim further revealed that the username and profile picture in the image did not match any known or verified account belonging to Aisha Buhari.
Further checks on Facebook returned no such post, and a scan of her verified Instagram page showed content strictly related to her public engagements, humanitarian activities, and official duties as First Lady between 2015 and 2023.
Her last post was dated February 2024, and none of her verified social media accounts or her digital footprints contained any statement remotely resembling the claim.
READ ALSO: Viral video does not show Buhari’s burial
Additionally, analysis of the alleged X post suggests it may have been digitally manipulated. The image displays telltale signs of inauthenticity, including visual inconsistencies, distortion, and graininess, typical characteristics of doctored images. The visual also didn’t contain the date and time that the post was made.
This is not the first time the claim has gone viral online. The claim was circulated in February 2024 and debunked.
The FactCheckHub reported that during Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure as president of Nigeria, there were several false claims in 2017 and 2018 that he had died. This is due to his repeated visits to the United Kingdom for treatment of an undisclosed illness, which raised concerns among the citizens. The misinformation persisted after he left the office.
Buhari served two terms as president of Nigeria. The first from 2015 to 2019 and the second from 2019 to 2023.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Aisha Buhari stated her husband, former President Muhammadu Buhari, died in 2017 is false; the former First Lady does not own a verified X (formerly Twitter) account, and there is no record of her making such a statement on any of her official social media platforms. Additionally, the viral post appears to be digitally manipulated.
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org.
Can this be true?