The Yobe State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mohammed Gadaka, has apologised and withdrawn his controversial remark urging married women to divorce their husbands if they were prevented from voting for the party.
Gadaka made the comment on Thursday while receiving hundreds of defectors into the APC in Nangere.
During the event, he reportedly told women whose husbands opposed their support for the ruling party to walk away from their marriages, while offering to pay their bride price.
“If your husband won’t allow you to vote for APC, leave the marriage. I will pay your bride price and marry you,” he said.
The remark subsequently sparked criticism from residents and Islamic scholars, who described the comment as provocative and inappropriate and warned that such words could undermine family values.
Amid the backlash, Gadaka apologised and withdrew the statement in a 42-second video shared on Facebook by Mamma Mohammed, Director-General of Press and Media Affairs to Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni.
The APC chairman said his remark had been taken out of context, explaining that it was made as a joke rooted in the traditional banter between his Ngamo ethnic group and the Kare-Kare-speaking people.
“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.
He expressed regret over the comment and formally withdrew it.
“I offer apologies for my statement, and I hereby withdraw it,” he added.
‘Divorce your husband’: Yobe APC Chairman apologises, withdraws comment