The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State, Muhammad Gadaka, has apologised for a controversial statement urging women to leave husbands who would not allow them to vote for the party in the 2027 elections.
Gadaka made the remark on Thursday during an APC rally in Nangere Local Government Area of the state, where he told female supporters to seek divorce if their husbands opposed their decision to vote for the ruling party.
He also said he would pay the dowry and marry any woman whose husband divorced her for supporting the APC.
“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 in a video of the rally shared by News Central.
The statement attracted widespread criticism, with residents and Islamic scholars reportedly faulting the APC chairman for making what they described as a provocative and irresponsible comment capable of undermining family values.
Gadaka subsequently withdrew the statement and apologised.
In a 43-second video shared on Friday by the Facebook page of the Yobe State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Abdullahi Bego, the APC chairman said the remark was misunderstood and was not intended to encourage married people to 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.
Gadaka also explained that the comment was made against the backdrop of the traditional joking relationship between the Gamawa and Kare-Kare ethnic groups.
“My name is Muhammad Gadaka, and I am from the Fika Local Government Area. As you may know, there is a traditional joking relationship between the Gamawa and Kare-Kare tribes,” he said.
He said the remark was made during a political programme organised in Zone B of Nangere Local Government Area.
“We recently organised a programme in Zone B of the Nangere Local Government Area,” he added.
The APC chairman acknowledged the reaction generated by his comment, saying that, as a leader, he considered it necessary to clarify his position and apologise to anyone offended by his words.
“As a leader, I want to clarify that I reject that misunderstood statement, and I sincerely apologise to everyone,” he said.
The development came days after the Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, was criticised over a reported threat to flog individuals who refused to support the APC in the 2027 elections.
The two incidents have continued to draw attention to the rhetoric being deployed by some ruling-party officials as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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