VICTOR AYENI examines how the office of the First Lady in Nigeria, created by many governors, has become a hotly coveted title among some state governors who have more than one wife, as the rivalry between their wives spills into the public space

In a not-too-subtle competition for influence, Titilola and Ngozi, the two wives of the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, locked horns, each claiming to be the First Lady of the state.

Titilola, reputed to be the governor’s first wife, proudly bears the traditional title of Yeye Soludero of Ila Orangun in Osun State. She was honoured with the NET Ambassador award in 2023.

The governor’s other wife, Ngozi, from Dimorji Obokwe Mbieri in Imo State, was named the Face of Adire by former president Olusegun Obasanjo. She also recently received the United Nations Peace Ambassador award.

On April 22, 2024, two viral photos of the posters bearing the photos of the wives of the governor welcoming Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, to the state went viral on social media.

Senator Tinubu was billed to be in Osogbo, the state capital, the next day for the inauguration of the Alternative High School for Girls at Oke D.O, Ilesha Road.

The inscription on the poster bearing Ngozi’s photo read, “Welcome to the State of Living Spring. Experience the beauty of Osun State’s landscape,” and was signed off with her name as First Lady of the state.

In a separate poster, Titilola also welcomed Mrs Tinubu to the “Official turning of the sod ceremony of the Alternative High School for Girls at Oke D.O, Ilesha Road, Osogbo” signed off as First Lady of the state.

Checks by our correspondent showed that Ngozi and Titilola have the title “First Lady” clearly written on their X (formerly Twitter) bios, with the former conspicuously including the title in her X name.

Netizens differ

As the two fliers by Adeleke’s wives went viral, many social media users described the situation as confusing, while others lauded the First Lady title taken by both women.

A Facebook user, Anthony Alfred, wrote, “There’s nothing like first ladies in one family. The first wife is the first lady and the second wife is the second lady like that till the 700th lady or more. Moreover, when a man marries more than one wife, the office of the First Lady should be scrapped because of limited state resources.

Another Facebook user, OgoAdulawo, wrote, “Traditionally. In Yoruba culture, it is customary for the first wife to hold a position of authority over the other wives. As a result, the first wife is recognised as the foremost lady of Osun State, unless the governor intentionally designates a different individual for the title.

“It is worth noting that this cultural practice is deeply rooted within the social fabric of the Yoruba people and has been upheld for generations. Thus, it is important to acknowledge and respect this tradition’s significance and impact on the Yoruba culture.”

On his part, another netizen, Sirajudeen Abdulazeez, noted that the issue of a governor having more than one wife had never been an issue, so the two fliers inviting Senator Tinubu was not a problem.

“If the governor has more than one as is common with most sane African men then they are all first ladies. This has never been an issue in the country.

“Most northern governors have more than one wife and it has never generated any controversy. Besides, the Osun people are not complaining. Let’s do responsible and issue-based journalism. The women have not said they are fighting or competing. They are both first ladies.”

But another X user, Aderemi Bukola, said there were no constitutional provisions for the office of the first lady, so any political office holder could have as many first ladies as possible.

“One is only good to prevent confusion and scandals,” Bukola.

Flier bearing Ngozi’s photo fake – Gov’s aide

Following the controversy that greeted the two fliers, Governor Ademola Adeleke, through his spokesman, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, disowned the flier which purportedly came from the office of Mrs Ngozi.

Rasheed, in a statement on Monday (April 22, 2024), explained that Titilola was the First Lady, and would be the one to receive Tinubu’s wife during the visit.

He said, “The attention of Mr Governor has been drawn to fake news in circulation about conflict over who among the governor’s two wives is to host the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on her official visit to the state tomorrow (Tuesday, April 23, 2024)

“For clarification, Chief (Mrs) Titilola Adeleke, the First Lady of Osun, is officially hosting the First Lady of the republic tomorrow in line with the directive of Mr Governor; there is no confusion on this official position.”

The governor’s aide further stated that the mastermind of the fake flier had been arrested.

“The flier circulating purportedly from the office of Erelu Ngozi Adeleke, the wife of the state governor, is fake news and the person behind it was nabbed and questioned last night.

“The said flier was never authorised by Erelu Ngozi Adeleke. The material was manufactured and shared by elements who wanted to sow discord and create an atmosphere of confusion,” he added.

Mrs Tinubu, Ooni recognise Osun ‘first ladies’

But the President’s wife, while speaking at the event, recognised the governor’s wives as first ladies.

“Let me also reiterate that Osun State was chosen as the location for this school through a transparent and unbiased raffle draw process at a strategic meeting with the state first ladies. So, rest assured that the siting of this school here in Osogbo, emanated from a fair process and it is a divinely guided one,” Mrs Tinubu said.

In his remarks, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, also acknowledged the role played by the governor’s wives in being a driving force behind the government.

“We will wait for you (Tinubu) over and over again for us to give you that honour. It’s very obvious that you are a unifier in this country; we can see all our first ladies behind our powerful political leaders, they are all sitting here, very gentle and amiable, they are the driving force behind all these political leaders that we are,” the monarch stated.

Adeleke’s wives not alone

Findings by Sunday PUNCH revealed that several state governors, aside from Adeleke, have more than one wife, but some of whom jointly lay claim to the title of the First Lady.

Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, is married to two wives, Zainab and Nafisa, who not only jointly run the office of the First Lady of the state, but also oversee two separate non-governmental agencies.

The Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has two wives, Zulaihat and Fatima. Zulaihat is reputed to be the state’s First Lady while Fatima has the term, “Wife of the Executive Governor” written on her official Instagram and X profiles.

However, our correspondent sighted several pages and videos on different websites where the title of “First Lady” was used for the governor’s second wife, Fatima.

Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Yahaya, also has two wives – Asmau and Amina. Only Asmau is known as the official First Lady of the state.

Also included is the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, who is married to Aishatu and Mariana. His first wife is officially recognised as the state’s First Lady.

Conversely, the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, who has two wives – Mariam and Zainab –stated that his wives “will not be part of the governance” and has not recognised either of them as First Lady.

An X user, MS Ingawa, who claimed to have personally met Radda’s two wives, wrote, “It’s actually funny for people to waste their energy on (an) office with no constitutional mandate to the extent that we measure the governor’s competence or ability based on the selection of the First Lady.

“The office is at the discretion of the elected governor who may choose to officially recognise it or not. Recognised or not, the wife (wives) of the governor will play almost (the) same role.

Ingawa said there had been governors in Nigeria whose wives were not known to the public.

“Some have more than one and nobody cares to know about them or even fight for the office on their behalf. It’s different in Katsina because all the two wives have a media presence. People tend to discuss more about what they see every day.”

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, a lawyer, Segun Oladejo, explained that the title had no constitutional backing but had been merely recognised due to its usage over the years.

“The office of the First Lady of the federation or the state doesn’t enjoy constitutional favour. It became recognised as a result of continuous and long usage by different administrations over the years.

“Coming on the stride of anti-corruption in 2015, (Former president, Muhammadu) Buhari, stated that he won’t have the office because it’s not recognised but we all know what became of it as Aisha used it to the fullest. There can only be one person occupying the office,” Oladejo said.