Sowore First Lady office pledge: the AAC candidate says he would scrap the position if elected president in 2027
Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, said in Abuja on Thursday, 17 September 2026, that he would not establish an official Office of the First Lady if elected president in the 2027 election, arguing that the position is not recognised by Nigeria’s Constitution.
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Sowore made the declaration during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he outlined his position on the role of a president’s spouse in government.
“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 his position would not prevent women from participating in his administration or contributing to government.
“Women will be heard,” he said, while questioning the use of public funds to support an office that he described as unconstitutional.
Sowore added that the policy would form part of his approach to government if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
“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 proposal centres on the distinction between the president’s spouse and a formally established public office.
The Nigerian Constitution does not establish an office titled “First Lady”. A constitutional review commission has also previously recommended that the role of a president’s spouse should not receive constitutional or legal recognition, while acknowledging that First Ladies have traditionally undertaken ceremonial and charitable activities.
The distinction is important because the absence of a constitutionally established office does not mean presidential spouses have no public visibility or ceremonial role.
First Ladies in Nigeria have historically participated in charitable initiatives, advocacy campaigns and public engagements, although such activities are separate from constitutionally created offices.
Sowore’s proposal would therefore represent a policy decision to exclude an official institutional role for the president’s spouse rather than a proposal to prevent a president’s wife from participating in public or private activities.
His comments come as political parties and presidential candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Sowore is among the presidential candidates formally participating in the 2027 contest.
The National Peace Accord ceremony held in Abuja in August included Sowore alongside other presidential contenders and political representatives.
The issue of the president’s spouse has occasionally attracted public debate in Nigeria, particularly around the nature and funding of activities associated with the office commonly referred to as the First Lady.
Sowore has now placed the matter within his stated policy agenda, saying a future administration under his leadership would not maintain the office.
His position leaves the broader question of how presidential spouses should participate in public life open to political and constitutional debate, particularly where ceremonial activities, charitable work and the use of public resources are concerned.
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For now, Sowore’s stated position is that his wife would remain his wife but would not occupy an official First Lady position by virtue of his presidency.
