Stop parading as govt officials, Ali counsels First Ladies

By Demola Akinyemi

Ilorin– A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mallam Yusuf Ali, has advocated for the code of conduct to control the activities of wives of president, governors and their deputies, saying they distort governance and breeds corruption and mediocrity.

Ali, who was particular about how high the wives of these officials move around, condemned their attitude, saying it is their husband that were voted by the electorate for the good governance of the nation.

Speaking in an interview with journalists in Ilorin, Mallam Yusuf Ali noted that the conduct and manners of the wives of the president, governors, council chairmen among others are “embarrassing, irritating and constitute a serious threat to the survival of the nation’s democracy”.

He expressed concern that many of the wives even see themselves above their husbands because of the influence they wield as people seek their support and approval to get one thing or the other from their husbands.

The lawyer, who harped that the electorate never took cognizance of the influence wielded by the wives of these political office holders said the time is now for the wives to stop  interfering in the affairs of the office and restrict their roles to their domestic obligations.

Ali, who claimed to have turned down many offers of  political appointments because of his pedigree recalled with nostalgia when he witnessed a civil servant speaking with the wife of the governor as if he were a slave.

According to him: “I want to advocate that for goodness sake, let us have a code of conduct for wives of elected officials in this country, especially for the people in the executive: president, the vice president, governors and their deputies and chairmen of local government among others”.