Don’t Address Me As ‘Wife Of The President’, Call Me ‘First Lady’ – Aisha Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha, has said she no longer wants to be addressed as the ‘wife of the president’ but as ‘first lady’ of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

She made the statement while speaking at a ceremony for wives of governors in Abuja on Thursday.

Mrs. Buhari said the change in title was necessary because the “wife of the president” title had been causing confusion.

She said the title: “wife of the president”, had been causing confusion among governors’ wives and that had to be resolved.

“When my husband was elected newly, I personally chose to be called the wife of the president,” she said.

“But I realised that it was causing confusion from the state as to whether the wives of state governors are to be addressed as the first ladies or wives of the governors.

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

Recall that part of President Buhari’s campaign promise was not to recognise the office of the first lady.

“The office of the first lady is not in the constitution, so there’s no official role for them,” Buhari had said before in December 2014 before the presidential election.

Mrs. Buhari, in reaction to this had agreed that she would perform her role traditionally.

“If the office of the first lady is constitutionally recognised, he will not tamper with it; but if it is not, that’s okay. For me, I will perform my duties and role as the wife of the president of Nigeria traditionally,” she had said during the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Campaign Council in January 2015.