Before any political candidate enters the rough and tumble of political theatre, he or she must realized that the nation’s political families include their spouses.

In this modern era, people have certain expectations concerning political spouses contrasted with the traditional political spouses of our past generation. Voters are naturally curios about the spouses of candidates because of what they reveal about their partners. As it is often said, the character of a man is determined by the choices he makes.

Similarly, according to Myra Gutin-a Rider University professor of communications and an authority on the subject of American first ladies, “people look at first ladies as indicators of the character of their spouses.” In today’s global political community, this could never be far from the truth.

Unfortunately, in our experience, Nigerian first ladies have been largely absent in the political scene. They do not stand side by side with their husbands to announce their candidacy let alone campaigning with them. In fact, it is fair to say that in some instances, they do not know what in the heck is going on in the country let alone spot lighting on the array of economic, social and political issues facing the country.

Most Nigerians do not even know who their first ladies are, let alone hear them speak in the public or be interviewed by the press. Some of the spouses may not even be the standard issue spouses of a governorship or presidential contender. All they do is they cook, clean and raise children as a full time job and are politically naive. What is wrong with that, you may ask? Nothing, but is this what the people want?

Political observes have seized on this to cast them in the mold that prevailed in the medieval England where wife-hood and motherhood were regarded as women’s significant profession such that the identity of wife was merged into that of the husband. He was the legal person but she was not. He was therefore, regarded as her head and representative in the social state.

This ancient view of women’s roles as wives and mothers led United States Supreme Court in Bradwell. v. Ilinois to argue that Myra Bradwell was too ambitious to want to practice law as a profession and viewed her as “incompetent to perform the duties and trusts” that belong to the noble profession of law.

The court stated that “the civil law as well as nature herself has always recognized a wide difference in the respective spheres and destinies of man and woman. …the natural and proper timidity and delicacy which belongs to the female sex evidently unfits it for many of the occupations of civil life. The constitution of the family organization, which is founded in the divine ordinance, as well as in the nature of things, indicates the domestic sphere as that which properly belongs to the domain and functions of womanhood. The harmony, not to say the identity of interests and views which belong or should belong, to the family institution is repugnant to the idea of a woman adopting a distinct and independent career from that of her husband… the paramount destiny and mission of a woman are to fulfill the noble and benign offices of wife and mother. This is the law of creator….”

But times have changed since women were cast in the molds of wives and mothers. We cannot continue to shelter our women as weaker sex needing protection from men. Africa has demonstrated this changing times by electing Mrs. Johnson Sirleaf as the first democratically elected female African head of state beating even United States of America which is yet to elect a female vice president let alone a president.

Eket senatorial district in Akwa Ibom State, for instance, has so far elected two married women beating all other parts of the state thus expanding the role of women in our political system. The first senator did practically nothing for her people. We are keeping our eyes open to see what the latest senator will do for her people.

True, it might be argued that a campaign is chaotic endeavor and a political wife can stay home to keep things together. It is equally arguable that a wife can stay out of politics or from public view for religious reasons.

Other than religious reasons, Nigerian political aspirants must understand that when they come into politics, they come with their families as is the case in Western countries. Running the state or country is a serious business and those who come into politics must understand that politics can be nasty and that political family includes their spouses.

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