•Omoyele Sowore
African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore says his administration will not establish an office for the First Lady if he is elected president in 2027.
Sowore made the declaration on Channels Television last night, arguing that the position of First Lady is not recognised by the Nigerian Constitution.
He said becoming president would not affect his marriage, but maintained that his wife would not hold an official position or office by virtue of his presidency.
“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 continue to have a voice in his administration, but questioned the use of public funds to maintain 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.
“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.
End To Security Votes
The AAC presidential candidate also outlined plans to reduce the cost of governance, saying his proposed measures could save about N4 trillion.
Sowore said his administration would tackle corruption to free up more public funds for development and end the practice of providing security votes to state governors.
“We will stop security votes to governors, we will make this happen. Of course it will require some constitutional changes so that the money that goes to the governor as a person can take care of the wage bill of the state.”
Security votes are public funds allocated to state governors for security-related and emergency purposes. The funds are generally subject to the discretion of governors and have been a subject of debate over transparency and accountability.
