News broke on Friday that Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari in a
yet-to-be aired interview with BBC Hausa said she would not campaign
with her husband in 2019, if things continue the way they are.
Here is a full text of the interview.
BBC Hausa: It has been One and a half years since President Muhammadu
Buhari came into power, a lot of people are expressing their
unhappiness over the way few acquaintance of the President have hijacked
power while neglecting people that work for his success. Like we have
promised, here is how the interview with Aisha Buhari and Naziru
Maka’ilu from Abuja goes.
BBC Hausa: 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
thing is the cause?
Aisha Buhari: 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 4
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
come out and say 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 lost, 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 in PDP.
BBC Hausa: Who are those doing these kinds of things?
Aisha Buhari: Everybody knows them. Those people should know that
people voted singly. Even Buhari too had one vote. Nobody voted 5 times.
15.429 Million People. That one that people are thinking too, he had
only some 2 or 3 people. I am pleading to 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.
BBC Hausa: Is the President aware some people are subverting his government?
Aisha Buhari: Whether he knows or he do not, those that voted for him knows.
BBC Hausa: But you are the most closest to him, did you tell him?
Aisha Buhari: There is nothing I can tell him, he is seeing things
himself. Out 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.
BBC Hausa: Do you think there are some people that are dictating to the President things to do, not him?
Aisha Buhari: 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 knows 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.
BBC Hausa: One would wonder to hear you say some people have hijacked
the government without him knowing, but who do you think are those
people?
Aisha Buhari: I don’t know them, I don’t know them. I don’t know them
BBC Hausa: But some people are calling names, saying 2 or 3 are the ones, do you that as well?
Aisha Buhari: Yes I agree. Because of those appointed apart from
Fashola, Ameachi 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
BBC Hausa: One would wonder that Buhari is not the one charge knowing
him as a person who had leadership experiences, people would not
believe
Aisha Buhari: Yes it is surprising; nobody thought it is 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 the 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
BBC Hausa: You said “Whether he is going to contest in the future or
not”, has he disclose it to you whether he is standing or not?
Aisha Buhari: He didn’t tell me, but I have made up my mind.