The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has said he will not create an office for the First Lady if he comes to power in 2027.
Sowore stated the announcement last nite on Channels Television, stating that the office of First Lady is not acknowledged by the Nigerian Constitution. Africans & the Diaspora
His marriage will not be affected by being president but he insisted his wife would not occupy an official post or office by virtue of his administration, he said.
There is no office of First Lady in the Nigerian Constitution. “I will not cancel my marriage if I become president, but I will not have the post of First Lady,” he stated.
Sowore said women would continue to have a voice in his government but questioned the use of public dollars to operate an office he described as unconstituional.
“Women will be heard, but I don’t think you need a first lady who is holding an unconstitutional position and just wasting money that is meant for progress and projects.
“As a matter of policy, I’m just telling you that there will be no office of the first lady under the Sowore presidency,” he stated.
End Security Ballots
The AAC presidential contender also announced proposals to cut the cost of governance, saying his proposed steps might save roughly N4 trillion.
Sowore stated that his administration would fight corruption to release more funding for development and stop the practice of giving security votes to state governors.
“We will stop security votes to governors, we will do it. Of course it will require certain constitutional amendments so that the money that goes to the governor as a person can attend to the wage bill of the state.”
Security votes are cash from the public purse that are distributed to state governors for security and emergency needs. Governors are often given a free hand to use the monies, and there has been discussion about transparency and accountability.
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