Presidential hopeful Omoyele Sowore has vowed that there will be no Office of the First Lady if he becomes President of Nigeria, arguing that the position is not established by the Nigerian Constitution.
Sowore made the declaration during a recent appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, saying his presidency would not interfere with his marriage but that his wife would not occupy a government office simply by virtue of being married to the President.
His position echoes that of Peter Obi, who has previously said he did not establish an Office of the First Lady while serving as governor of Anambra State, arguing that the governor’s wife was not elected by the people and should not operate a government office funded with public resources.
The issue has also drawn attention to the cost of activities associated with Nigeria’s First Lady under President Bola Tinubu.
A September 2024 investigation by PUNCH, citing expenditure data from GovSpend, reported that the Federal Government spent about ₦700.7 million on Oluremi Tinubu’s foreign trips over a seven-month period. The same investigation identified another ₦314.2 million spent on six programmes associated with the First Lady, putting the reported expenditure on the trips and programmes at approximately ₦1.015 billion during the period examined.
The report, however, should not be interpreted as a direct budget for an independent “Office of the First Lady.” Oluremi Tinubu herself said in June 2025 that there was no direct Federal Government budgetary provision to run her office, while appealing to the National Assembly for structured funding.
The distinction is significant: expenditures connected to official trips, programmes and State House activities are not necessarily the same thing as a formally appropriated budget for an Office of the First Lady.
Sowore’s proposal therefore goes beyond the title itself, raising a broader question about whether activities traditionally performed by presidential spouses should receive government-funded administrative and logistical support.
As the 2027 presidential contest approaches, the differing positions of Sowore, Obi and the current Presidency are likely to keep the debate over the constitutional status, public funding and role of the First Lady in the national conversation.
