By Opeyemi Adelakun
African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has said he will not establish an Office of the First Lady if elected president in the 2027 election.
Sowore made the declaration during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, arguing that the position of First Lady is not created by the Nigerian Constitution.
He said his presidency would not affect his marriage but maintained that his wife would not occupy an official government position simply by virtue of being married to the President.
“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.
The AAC candidate said women would remain part of his administration but questioned the use of public funds to operate 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 said abolishing the office would be part of his proposed approach to reducing the cost of governance if elected.
He also pledged to end the allocation of security votes to state governors, saying the measure would require constitutional amendments.
“We will stop security votes to governors, we will make this happen,” he said.
According to Sowore, the proposed reforms to the cost of governance, alongside measures to tackle corruption, could save the country about ₦4 trillion.
He said the funds recovered or saved under his proposed system would be redirected towards public development and the payment of state workers’ salaries.
Security votes are discretionary funds traditionally allocated to state governors for security and emergency-related expenditure, with their transparency and accountability having remained subjects of public debate.
Sowore said his administration would pursue broader changes to government spending as part of efforts to reduce waste and make more public resources available for development.
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