The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State, Muhammad Gadaka, has urged women whose husbands prevent them from voting for the party to divorce them, saying he would pay their dowries.
Gadaka made the controversial statement on Thursday at an APC campaign rally in Nangere, Yobe State.
In a video shared by News Central, the Yobe APC chairman called on women to oppose their husbands if they were prevented from supporting the party at the polls.
“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 has drawn criticism from residents and Islamic scholars, who described it as reckless and provocative and warned that such remarks could have implications for family values.
Amid the backlash, Gadaka apologised for the statement and withdrew it.
In a video posted on the Facebook page of Yobe State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Abdullahi Bego, on Friday, the APC chairman said his words had been misunderstood.
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He said the statement was made as a joke and was not intended to encourage married women to end their marriages.
“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 added.
The controversy comes days after the Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, also came under criticism over a threat to flog people who refused to support the APC in the 2027 election.
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