The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State, Muhammad Gadaka, has apologised and withdrawn his controversial comment urging married women whose husbands prevent them from voting for the party to seek divorce.
Gadaka made the remark on Thursday while speaking at an APC campaign rally in Nangere, Yobe State.
In a video shared by News Central, the APC chairman urged women whose husbands would not allow them to vote for the party to stand up to them and leave their marriages.
“If your husband won’t allow you to vote for APC, stand up to him and seek a divorce. If you leave the marriage, I will pay your dowry and marry you,” he said.
The comment sparked criticism from residents and Islamic scholars, who described it as reckless and provocative and warned that such remarks could undermine family values.
However, Gadaka later apologised and withdrew the statement, saying it had been misconstrued.
In a video shared on the Facebook page of Yobe State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Abdullahi Bego, on Friday, Gadaka said his comment was intended as a joke and was not meant to encourage divorce.
“My statement was just a joke and does not in any way represent the ideals I stand for or intended to encourage divorce among married people.
“I offer apologies for my statement, and I hereby withdraw it,” he said.
The controversy comes days after the Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, also came under criticism after threatening to flog people who refused to support the APC in the 2027 election.
