First Lady Aisha Buhari drew an instant response from President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday after threatening on air that she might not support his re-election bid in 2019.

Speaking in an interview she granted the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the wife of the President said the President needed to reshuffle his cabinet for her to back him for re-election.

“I have decided as his wife that if things continue like this up to 2019, I will not go out and campaign again and ask any woman to vote like I did before. I will never do it again,” she said.

She claimed that the President “does not know” most of the top officials he has appointed so far.

She said: “The president does not know 45 out of 50, for example, of the people he appointed, and I don’t know them either despite being his wife of 27 years.

“Some people are sitting down in their homes folding their arms only for them to be called to come and head an agency or a ministerial position.”

Aisha said some of such appointees are not on the same page with the President on the vision of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that they were appointed only on account of the influence of a ‘few people.’

She mentioned no names, and when pressed to identify those she was referring to, she said: “You will know them if you watch television.

“Some of them don’t even have voter cards, and those who made sacrifice have been reduced to nothing and certainly not happy with the way things are going.”

The APC, she said, must wake up to remedy the situation.

She said people who did not share the vision of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were now appointed to top posts because of the influence a “few people” wield.

“What I am afraid of is the rebellion of 15 million people. Many people have started creating division among the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“This worries us a lot because they believe they are the ones who suffered but are nowhere today.

“Those who didn’t do anything, who don’t even have voters’ cards, are the ones in position doing everything.

On whether the President was aware of the challenges caused by the cabal, she added: “Whether he knows or he doesn’t know, those who voted for him know.

“There is nothing I will tell him. He can see. Among all the people he selected, if he is asked among 50 people, he doesn’t know 45.

“I don’t know them despite staying with him for 27 years.”

Responding to a question on if the president was in charge, she said: “That is left for the people to decide.”

Pressed to comment on a major achievement of Buhari, she pointed to the enhanced security in the North-East as a result of a total war against Boko Haram.

She added: “No-one is complaining about being attacked in their own homes. Thankfully everyone can walk around freely, go to places of worship, etc. Even kids in Maiduguri have returned to schools.”

But Mrs. Buhari admitted that the President had not told her yet about 2019.

Her words: “He is yet to tell me (if he’ll seek re-election) but I have decided as his wife that if things continue like this up to 2019, I will not go out and campaign again and ask any woman to vote like I did before. I will never do it again.”

She was also asked whether the President was in charge of his administration, to which she responded thus: “That is left for the people to decide.”

However, she hailed the President for checking the onslaught of the terror sect, Boko Haram in the Northeast and for improving safety in the geo-political zone.

“No one is complaining about being attacked in their own homes. Thankfully, everyone can walk around freely, go to places of worship, etc. Even kids in Maiduguri have returned to schools,” Mrs. Buhari said.

Moments after the interview was aired, reporters covering President Buhari’s current visit to Germany asked him to respond to the First Lady’s comments.

He claimed to have laughed it off and said: “I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room.

“So I claim superior knowledge over her and the rest of the opposition, because in the end I have succeeded. It’s not easy to satisfy the whole Nigerian opposition parties or to participate in the government.”

Findings by our correspondent revealed that the First Lady decided to open up following Buhari’s tough stance, anti-corruption and alleged frustration of his agenda by the cabal in Buhari’s government.

Apart from not conceding ministerial slot to the First Lady, the President officially designated her as the “Wife of the President.”

Unlike in the past, the wife of the President has no say in the affairs of the state including award of contracts.

A source added: “In fact during one of the Federal Executive Council meetings, the President told the ministers: ‘None of you should give contract to my wife or relations. If you do so, I will take drastic action.’ Since then Ministers have kept Mrs. Buhari at bay.”

Also in June 2015 Buhari ordered security agents to grill one of Aisha’s brothers over a N300 million deal to facilitate allocation of an oil block.

The suspect was allegedly brought to the Presidential Villa in handcuffs, a development which angered his in-laws.

Writing on a sketch of Buhari’s tough anti-corruption mindset and plans was contained in a book, “Muhammadu Buhari: The challenges of leadership in Nigeria”, Prof. John Paden, who is the author, said Buhari told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other anti-graft agencies to probe his children or any member of his family implicated in corrupt practices.

The book says: “Buhari’s attitude is to let the chips fall where they may in particular cases, although reform of the judiciary is one of his larger goals.

“Buhari has often said that if any of his own children were accused of corruption, and the authorities did not investigate, he would never forgive the authorities.

The President also allowed the First Lady limited access to the use of the Presidential jets.

It was gathered that when the First Lady was going on Hajj in 2015, the President directed her to go in a commercial flight leading to the choice of Emirates Airline.

“During a shuttle to Edo State, the President frowned at the First Lady for coming in a chartered chopper.”

Another source said: “I think the First Lady spoke because of frustration. Her battle with the cabal in the presidency started before Buhari’s inauguration.

“When the President-elect was at the Defence House, her flat was third to her husband. A member of cabal was living in the middle flat. At a stage, she protested that she must have direct access to her husband. The allocation of room was later adjusted.

“It has been paining her that a member of the cabal singlehandedly nominated seven ministers without the knowledge of the President. It was an influence which security agencies could not detect on time.

“Many members of APC have been protesting to her but she does not have much access to her husband.”

Following is the full translation of the interview:

People have goodwill towards President Muhammadu Buhari, especially looking at the things he did before. But since coming into power, things have not been working the way they should. What do you think is the cause?
I am not a government official. But in my opinion as a woman, a mother, what I think is it is well known that the first four years are not going to be easy. Firstly, it was people that brought the government into power. More than half of those people are not appointed into the government. Some people that are not politicians, not professionals were brought into the government. They don’t even know what we said we want and what we don’t during the campaign.

They even came out and said to people, ‘We are not politicians.’ But they are occupying the offices meant for politicians. Some have parted with their wives. Some lost their children. Some women too have parted with their husbands because of politics. A lot happened during the time.

The way things are going, I too I am not happy. We are just starting; we have not finished. Some people that worked for the government have been appointed. But those heading government agencies, you can find one fighting his state governor. They contested together during election, one in APC while the other is in PDP.

Who are those doing this kind of things?
Everybody knows them. Those people should know that people voted singly. Even Buhari too had one vote. Nobody voted five times. 15.429 million people. That one that people are thinking too, he had only some two or three people. I am pleading with them to have the people at heart and embrace everybody so that we can all move together.

Not even now in 2016 or 17, lot of people are creating divisions within the APC, which is our source of concern. They think they have worked for the government while those appointed, some of them had no voter’s card. What I fear is uprising of 15.4 million people.

Is the President aware some people are subverting his government?
Whether he knows or he does not, those that voted for him know.

But you are the closest to him. Did you tell him?
There is nothing I can tell him. He is seeing things himself. Of the people he has appointed, take 50, 45 of them, I don’t know them. Perhaps he doesn’t know them too. I have been living with him for 27 years.

Do you think there are some people that are dictating to the President the things to do?
That is what I am saying. Those that know they don’t have voters card, they should give chance to those that have. They are the ones that struggled and know what we want to do. Some of them, if you go to a meeting with them, they will tell you we are not politicians. If somebody is wise, they will not accept to take any political office. They didn’t even work for it. Even if you are asked to, you should say it is not my profession. Those places not headed by politicians will cause people discontent.

One would wonder to hear you say some people have hijacked the government without him knowing. But who do you think are those people?

I don’t know them, I don’t know them. I don’t know them.

But some people are calling names, saying two or three are the ones. Do you know that as well?
Yes I agree. Because of those appointed, apart from Fashola, Amaechi and some others, not much, I don’t know them. Most of us too don’t know them, and he too does not know them.

One would wonder that Buhari is not the one in charge. Knowing him as a person who had leadership experiences, people would not believe.

Yes, it is surprising. Nobody thought it was going to be like this. But now that it is so…sometimes when one is doing something wrong without him knowing, but when people talk to them, they should listen. Because in future, whether he is going to contest or not, it is that same people that would vote for APC. We hope those people don’t come back, and everybody don’t hope so too.

You said “Whether he is going to contest in future or not”, has he disclosed it to you whether he is standing or not?
He didn’t tell me, but I have made up my mind.