The Yobe State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Mohammed Gadaka, has withdrawn a controversial statement in which he urged married women to leave their husbands if they prevented them from voting for the party in the upcoming general elections.
Gadaka made the comment on Thursday in Nangere town while receiving hundreds of defectors into the APC. During his address, he reportedly told women whose husbands would not allow them to vote for the party to leave their marriages, promising to pay their bride price and marry them.
“If your husband won’t allow you to vote APC, leave the marriage. I will pay your bride price and marry you,” he was quoted as saying.
The statement sparked criticism from residents and Islamic scholars, who described it as reckless and provocative. Critics warned that such comments could undermine family values and encourage unnecessary conflict within marriages.
Amid the backlash, Gadaka later withdrew the statement in a 42-second video shared on the Facebook page of Governor Mai Mala Buni’s Director General, Press and Media Affairs, Mamma Mohammed.
The APC chairman said his remarks had been misconstrued, explaining that they were intended as a joke rooted in the long-standing practice of banter between his Ngamo people and the Kare Kare-speaking people.
“My statement was just a usual joking banter and does not in any way represent the ideals I stand for or intended to encourage divorce among married people,” Gadaka said.
He subsequently apologised for the remark and formally withdrew it.
“I offer apologies for my statement, and I hereby withdraw it,” he added.
The controversy has nonetheless generated debate over the responsibility of political leaders when making public statements, particularly comments that touch on marriage, family relationships and political allegiance.