Yobe State APC Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Gadaka, has apologised and withdrawn his controversial remark urging married women to leave their husbands if they were prevented from voting for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Gadaka reportedly made the comment on Thursday in Nangere while receiving hundreds of defectors into the APC. He told the gathering that women whose husbands opposed their support for the party should leave their marriages, adding that he would pay their bride price and marry them.
The statement generated criticism, with concerns raised about its implications for marriage and family values.
Following the backlash, Gadaka issued an apology and withdrew the statement. In a video shared by the media aide to Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, he explained that his comment was intended as a joke and was based on what he described as traditional banter between the Ngamo and Kare-Kare communities.
He said the remark was not intended to encourage married women to divorce their husbands or create conflict within families.
Gadaka subsequently apologised for the statement and formally withdrew it.
The controversy comes as political parties intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the APC and opposition parties seeking to expand their support bases across the country.
The incident has also renewed discussions about the responsibility of political leaders to exercise caution when making statements during political gatherings, particularly where comments could be interpreted as encouraging conflict within families.
Despite withdrawing the remark, the Yobe APC chairman’s statement has continued to attract public attention, particularly because it involved political support and marital relationships.
