Bashir Ahmad, former media aide to late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has publicly criticized Farooq Kperogi, a U.S.-based professor of journalism, over what he described as a reckless and damaging allegation about the late president’s wife, Aisha Buhari.
Kperogi, a journalism professor at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, USA, had earlier claimed that Aisha Buhari divorced her husband before his death on Saturday, July 13, 2025. The controversial claim sparked widespread backlash online.
However, in a Facebook post on Sunday, Kperogi issued a heartfelt apology, describing his initial report as “one of the worst and cruellest lapses of judgement” in his career.
“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,” Kperogi wrote.
Despite the apology, Bashir Ahmad was not moved. Taking to his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, Ahmad condemned Kperogi’s actions, calling them reckless and speculative.
“You can’t be a journalism teacher and specialise gravely in speculative reportage,” he wrote.
Ahmad continued, “To act on secondhand claims, admit they were not intended to be public, and then seek refuge behind an apology after the damage is done is not courage; it is cowardice dressed as contrition.”
The backlash highlights growing concerns about misinformation and speculative journalism, particularly in relation to sensitive national figures. While Kperogi has apologized, critics like Ahmad insist that the damage to reputations cannot simply be erased with words.
