Yobe State All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman Muhammad Gadaka has apologised and withdrawn a controversial remark in which he urged married women to leave their husbands if prevented from voting for the party, while offering to pay their bride price and marry them.
Gadaka made the statement on Thursday, September 3 or 4, 2026, while addressing supporters and receiving defectors at a political rally in Nangere Local Government Area of Yobe State.
Speaking in Hausa, he was quoted as saying variations of: “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/bride price and marry you.”
One report rendered a related line as telling women to inform their sisters that if a husband disagrees and divorces her over APC support, he would pay the bride price and marry her.
The comments, captured on video and widely shared on social media, quickly drew criticism from residents and Islamic scholars, who described them as provocative, inappropriate, and potentially harmful to family values. Critics argued that political differences should not be used to encourage the dissolution of marriages.
Hours later, amid the backlash, Gadaka issued an apology in a short video (around 42–43 seconds) shared on platforms linked to Yobe State government officials, including the Director-General of Press and Media Affairs to Governor Mai Mala Buni.
He described the remark as a joke or traditional banter rooted in the longstanding teasing relationship between his Ngamo (or Gamawa) ethnic group and the Kare-Kare-speaking people, and said it did not represent his ideals or any intention to promote divorce.
“My statement was just a joking banter and does not in any way represent the ideals I stand for or intended to encourage divorce among married people,” Gadaka said.
“I offer apologies for my statement, and I hereby withdraw it.”
In another account, he stated: “I withdraw my earlier statement that any woman whose husband prevents her from voting for the APC should end her marriage, and that I would marry her. I apologise to the public; I only said it as a joke.”
The episode occurs as political parties intensify mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections. Gadaka had also spoken at the event about the strength of the party’s base in the state and opportunities for new members. No further official reaction from the national APC leadership has been widely reported.
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