Aisha was born on 17 February 1971 in Adamawa State, northeastern Nigeria. Her grandfather Alhaji Muhammadu Ribadu was Nigeria’s first minister of defence. Aisha’s father was a civil engineer, and her mother is a descendant of the Ankali family, renowned farmers. Aisha Buhari went to primary and secondary school in Adamawa State. On 2 December 1989, Aisha married Muhammadu Buhari, who had five children from a previous marriage to Safinatu Yusuf. Aisha and Muhammadu Buhari have five children together and one grandchild.

In July 2014, Aisha advised Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to resign from office as president of Nigeria, following a suicide bombing and an alleged assassination attempt on her husband. Aisha is a women’s rights activist and child rights advocate, and she has criticized child marriage and homosexuality.

Aisha Buhari is a vocal advocate of women’s rights and children rights, and this was a focal point during her campaign for her husband’s election in 2015. Aisha has, on several occasions, emphasized the need for young girls to get primary and secondary school education before getting married, saying that she believes no girl should get married before the age of 17.

In May 2015, on the sidelines of the Global Women Conference held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she stressed the need for Nigerian laws that will protect the women from forced early marriages, sex trafficking and other issues Nigerian girls and women contend with. Aisha raised concerns on child sexual abuse in Nigeria, sex trafficking and the need for legislation against early marriage.

On 12 June 2015, Aisha Buhari met with some mothers of the abducted Chibok Girls on 14 April 2016, and donated proceeds from her book to parents of the Chibok girls, the Buni Yadi boys murdered in 2014, and children suffering from malnutrition.

Future Assured is an initiative founded by Aisha Buhari to continue her advocacy work for the health and well-being of women and children through community mobilization and health promotion. Aisha was prompted by the need to improve the current poor health outcomes of women, children and other vulnerable groups of the Nigerian population, and Aisha affirmed her commitment to this work at a stakeholders meeting held at the presidential villa and a public launch of Future Assured programs at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly held in New York on 29 September 2015.

In October 2016, Aisha Buhari said that she would not back her husband in the next election unless he got a grip on his government. He responded that she belonged in his kitchen, saying “I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room.”

Aisha is currently working with the Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria which is as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency that has plagued the country since 2009. She set up a committee to deal with the distribution of relief materials after a visit to an IDP camp in Borno Northeast Nigeria. On Tuesday, June 11, 2019, Aisha Buhari empowered 2000 women in Yola, Adamawa State at the event organized by Aisha Buhari Foundation with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE). Aisha launched a Green School Agricultural Initiative at Aliyu Mustafa College, Yola, on June 11, 2019. She also encouraged young people to embrace Agriculture.

In October 2019, Fatima Daura the daughter of Mamman Daura accused Aisha of verbally abusing her and attacking her family. Fatima recorded a video of Aisha ranting inside the presidential villa in Abuja and submitted the video to the press. Fatima Daura said she recorded the video because no one would have believed her if she made those claims without evidence.