"𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗣𝗖, 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗺, 𝗜 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂"---𝗬𝗼𝗯𝗲 𝗔𝗣𝗖 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻

𝙱𝚈 𝙽𝙸𝙶𝙴𝚁𝙳𝙴𝙻𝚃𝙰 𝚅𝙾𝙸𝙲𝙴,

𝙽𝙸𝙶𝙴𝚁 𝙳𝙴𝙻𝚃𝙰, 𝙽𝙸𝙶𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙰.

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State, Alhaji Muhammad Gadaka, has sparked controversy after urging married women to leave their husbands if they prevent them from voting for the ruling party in the 2027 general elections.

Gadaka made the controversial remark on Thursday while addressing hundreds of new APC members and defectors during a political mobilisation event in Nangere Local Government Area of Yobe State.

According to reports, the APC chairman told women that they should seek divorce if their husbands opposed their decision to vote for the party.

“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 was also reported to have pledged to pay the bride price of any woman who ended her marriage because of her support for the APC.

The statement quickly generated reactions, with residents and Islamic scholars reportedly criticising it as provocative and inappropriate, particularly because of the potential implications for marriage and family values.

Gadaka Withdraws Statement

Following the backlash, Gadaka apologised and withdrew the controversial comment.

In a video shared on Friday by officials connected to the Yobe State Government, the APC chairman said his words had been misunderstood and insisted that the remark was made as a joke.

He explained that the statement was rooted in what he described as a traditional joking relationship between his Ngamo people and the Kare-Kare-speaking community.

Gadaka said his comment did not represent his beliefs or an attempt to encourage married couples to divorce over political differences.

“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.”

He subsequently apologised to the public and formally withdrew the statement.

Controversy Comes Ahead of 2027 Elections

The incident comes amid increasing political mobilisation by parties across Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections, with politicians stepping up efforts to attract new members and consolidate grassroots support.

Gadaka's remark has nevertheless renewed debate over the language used by political leaders during campaigns, particularly when political mobilisation intersects with sensitive issues such as marriage, religion and family relationships.

His subsequent apology means the statement should be understood as a withdrawn remark rather than an official APC position.

The Yobe APC chairman has now maintained that he did not intend to encourage women to divorce their husbands because of political differences and has asked the public to accept his apology.

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