By Ado Oyeyemi
African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has said he would not establish an official Office of the First Lady or retain security votes for state governors if elected President in 2027.
Sowore made the declarations during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, where he outlined proposed changes to Nigeria’s governance structure.
On the proposed First Lady’s office, the AAC candidate argued that the position was not expressly created by the Nigerian Constitution.
“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 the absence of an official First Lady’s office would not prevent women from having a role in his administration.
“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 the decision would form part of his administration’s policy if he wins the 2027 presidential election, adding that his proposed reforms were aimed at reducing the cost of governance.
The AAC candidate also pledged to end security votes allocated to state governors, arguing that public funds should be channelled towards government obligations, including the payment of workers’ salaries.
“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,” he said.
Sowore said his proposed measures to reduce government expenditure and tackle corruption could save about N4tn, which he said could be redirected towards development.
Security votes are discretionary public funds traditionally available to state governors for security and emergency-related expenditure, and their administration and accountability have remained subjects of public debate.
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The AAC candidate’s proposals form part of his broader plans to restructure aspects of Nigeria’s political and governance system ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
