Nigeia First Lady and the President

Nigeria's president warned by First Lady Aisha Buhari

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's wife has warned him that she may not back him at the next election unless he shakes up his government.

In a BBC interview, Aisha Buhari suggested his government had been hijacked by only a "few people", who were behind presidential appointments

She said the president did not know most of the officials he had appointed.

Mr Buhari, who is on a visit to Germany, has responded by saying his wife belonged in his kitchen.

Standing alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a news conference, the president laughed off his wife's accusations.

"I don't know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room," he said.

The remarks earned him a glare from Chancellor Merkel.

Mr Buhari said that having run for president three times and having succeeded the fourth, he could "claim superior knowledge over her".

The influence 'of a few people'

Mr Buhari was elected last year with a promise to tackle corruption and nepotism in government.

But in the interview with Naziru Mikailu from BBC Hausa, Mrs Buhari said: "The president does not know 45 out of 50 of the people he appointed and I don't know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years." 

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.

"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," she said. 

His wife's decision to go public with her concerns will shock many people, but it shows the level of discontent with the president's leadership, says the BBC's Naziru Mikailu in the capital, Abuja.

A TURNING POINT FOR NIGERIA? ANALYSIS BY NAZIRU MIKAILU IN ABUJA

Aisha Buhari campaigned vigorously for her husband in last year's election in Nigeria, organising town hall meetings with women's groups and youth organisations across the country.

However, she kept a low profile at the start of the administration and was barely seen or heard. She was restricted to her work on the empowerment of women and helping victims of the Boko Haram conflict in the north-east of the country where she is from. This is one of the reasons why this damning interview has caught the attention of many Nigerians.

It is a significant blow for Mr Buhari, who has a reputation for being a tough, no-nonsense president. 

Her comments also bolster accusations that his government has been hijacked by a small group of individuals.

Critics say a large number of people have been appointed because of their relationship with those people in one way or the other. 

Mrs Buhari was prompted to to speak out in an effort to end those practices so that party loyalists who contributed to his election victory could benefit.

Her critics say she is speaking out only because she failed to convince the president to appoint her own people.

However, as the closest person to the president, she must have exhausted all avenues before criticising him in the media.

The comments could also mark a turning point for a government that has clearly struggled to deal with economic recession and is facing growing disquiet within the ruling party.

The Nigerian economy, battered by low global oil prices and a currency devaluation, officially entered recession in August for the first time in a decade.

Oil sales account for 70% of government income.

The president famously remarked at his inauguration that he "belongs to nobody and belongs to everybody".