Dare Babalola
A Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media at Kennesaw State University, Farooq Kperogi, has apologised to Former First Lady Aisha Buhari for alleging that Aisha was no longer married to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari before his death.
Days after the death of Buhari, Kperogi, in a Facebook post, alleged that Aisha had dropped Buhari as her surname and reverted to her maiden name, Halilu.
In the July 16 Facebook update titled “Aisha Buhari, Divorce, and Forgiveness Claim”, Kperogi further claimed that Aisha was reluctant to travel to the United Kingdom to care for Buhari when he became ill.
However, in a post on Sunday, the Professor apologised to the former First Lady but maintained that an unnamed source confirmed his allegation.
He said, “It’s one of the worst and cruelest lapses of judgement I have ever committed in my life, and it has been a source of unfathomable personal anguish for me these past few days.
“My source, whose integrity is unimpeachable, 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.
“On the other side, Alhaji Sani Zorro, former SSA to the First Lady on Public Affairs, whom I hold in the highest esteem, has reached out to question the accuracy of my 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.
“Clearly, Mrs. Buhari herself has the ultimate authority and right to define the status of her marriage with her late husband. Her truth should be respected as supreme, whatever other facts may exist.
“Moreover, 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.
“I realize it might be impossible for many to believe (except those who truly know me) that I acted without malice, ulterior motives, or external influence. But I sincerely did not intend to harm Mrs. Buhari or execute any personal vendetta.”
He offered his “heartfelt and unreserved apology for the needless and deeply regrettable hurt” he caused to “Mrs Buhari”.
