DAMATURU, Nigeria – The chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State, Muhammad Gadaka, has issued an unreserved public apology and formally retracted controversial campaign comments in which he urged married women to seek divorce if their husbands prevent them from voting for the ruling party, party officials confirmed on Friday, September 4, 2026.
Gadaka made the remarks while addressing party supporters and grassroots mobilizers during a campaign rally in the Nangere Local Government Area of Yobe State, located in Nigeria’s North East region.
Okay News reports that during his stump speech, the party chieftain promised to cover the dowries and legal marriage dissolution costs for any woman whose husband attempted to restrict her electoral choice in favor of the APC, a statement that immediately triggered widespread outrage across the state.
The remarks drew sharp condemnation from residents, civil society organizations, and Islamic scholars, who described the pronouncement as reckless, provocative, and directly antithetical to Islamic family jurisprudence and traditional societal values.
Religious leaders cautioned that political actors must not weaponize the sanctity of marriage or encourage domestic instability to score partisan points ahead of upcoming general elections.
Facing mounting backlash from community elders and constituents, Gadaka released a video statement published on Friday through the verified Facebook page of the Yobe State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Abdullahi Bego, seeking to douse growing tensions.
The party chairman maintained that his remarks had been taken out of context, claiming they were uttered humorously rather than as serious political counsel.
“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,” Gadaka said in the video broadcast. “I offer apologies for my statement, and I hereby withdraw it.”
The controversy in Yobe State mirrors rising political rhetoric across the North East as political parties escalate grassroots mobilization campaigns ahead of the 2027 general election cycle.
The development came days after an executive official in neighboring Borno State, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, provoked national backlash after publicly threatening to flog residents who refuse to support the ruling party at the polls, drawing demands from opposition parties and rights groups for administrative sanctions.
