Nothing illegal in Buhari’s wife’s preference for First Lady – SANs

Two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), Chief Mike Ahamba and Dr. Biodun Layonu, have said there is nothing illegal in the request by Mrs. Aisha Buhari, to be referred to as First Lady of Nigeria.

The lawyers believed that there was nothing outrageous in her request because others before her were addressed as First Ladies. Speaking on the issue, Chief Mike Ahamba noted that the president’s wife is free to make her request.

He said: “A wife of president answers first lady. She is free to make the request. It doesn’t mean anything to me. “It is not a statutory matter. Nothing makes it illegal because Trump’s wife is also First Lady in America. So, Mrs. Aisha Buhari is only asking for her right.” Dr. Biodun Layonu said that Mrs. Buhari’s request touches more on political practice than on legality. “It’s not everything that’s law.

There are issues of political practices or conventions and the likes. The First Lady has expressed her preference regarding her appellation or designation. That’s it”, the silk said. Mrs. Buhari had last Thursday demanded that she should henceforth be addressed as First Lady of Nigeria rather than wife of the president.

She made the demand at the presentation of awards to the former and current wives of governors of the 36 states.

She said: “When my husband was newly elected, I personally chose to be called the wife of the President. “But I realised that it causes confusion from the state as to whether the wives of state governors are to be addressed as the first ladies or wives of the governor.

So, forgive me for confusing you from the beginning, but now I chose to be called the first lady.