African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has said there will be no official office of the First Lady if he is elected president in 2027.
Sowore made the statement during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Tonight on Thursday, arguing that the position is not established by the Nigerian Constitution.
He said his presidency would not affect his marriage but maintained that his wife would not occupy an official position as First Lady.
“There is no office of First Lady in the Nigerian Constitution. Becoming the president will not abolish my marriage, but I will not have the office of First Lady,” Sowore said.
He, however, said women would have a role in his administration, while questioning the use of public funds for an office he described as unconstitutional.
“Women will be heard, but I don’t believe that you need a first lady who is holding an unconstitutional position and just wasting money that is meant for progress and projects,” he said.
Sowore added that the absence of an official First Lady’s office would be a matter of policy under his administration.
“I am just telling you as a matter of policy that there won’t be an office of the first lady under the Sowore presidency,” he said.
The 1999 Constitution does not expressly establish an Office of the First Lady, although the State House currently recognises Oluremi Tinubu as First Lady of Nigeria.
