African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has said his administration would not maintain an official office for the First Lady if he is elected president in 2027.
Sowore made the declaration during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, saying the Nigerian Constitution does not establish such an office.
He said the decision would not affect his marriage but would mean that his wife would not occupy an official government position by virtue of being the president’s wife.
“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,” he said.
Sowore said women would still have a voice in his administration, but argued that public funds should not be spent maintaining an office that he considers constitutionally unrecognised.
“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 State House currently identifies Oluremi Tinubu as the First Lady of Nigeria.
Sowore’s position, if implemented, would therefore represent a change from the current presidential practice of having an official First Lady and related activities under the presidency.
The AAC candidate is among the presidential candidates listed by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
