Yobe APC Chairman Apologises After Divorce Remark Sparks Outrage

Yobe APC Chairman Apologises After Telling Women to Leave Husbands Over Voting Choice
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State, Alhaji Mohammed Gadaka, has apologised and withdrawn a controversial remark in which he appeared to encourage married women to divorce husbands who prevented them from voting for the ruling party.

Gadaka made the comment on Thursday in Nangere while addressing hundreds of people who joined the APC.

During the gathering, the party chairman reportedly told married women that they should consider leaving their husbands if they were stopped from voting for the APC in the forthcoming elections.

He was also said to have promised to pay the “new bride price” for any woman who ended her marriage because of her support for the party.

The statement triggered strong reactions across the state, with residents, community leaders and Islamic scholars criticising the remarks as inappropriate and potentially harmful to family and community relationships.

Critics said political leaders should be particularly careful when commenting on sensitive matters involving marriage, religion and family values, arguing that political mobilisation should not become a source of conflict within households.

Amid the backlash, Gadaka later withdrew the statement and apologised in a 42-second video posted on the Facebook page of Mamma Mohammed, Director-General, Press and Media Affairs to Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni.

The APC chairman explained that his remarks were intended as a joke and were not meant to promote divorce.

“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,” Gadaka said.

He subsequently apologised for the comment and formally withdrew it.

Gadaka linked the remark to what he described as traditional joking and banter between his Ngamo people and members of the Kare-Kare-speaking community.

Despite the clarification, the incident has continued to generate debate over the limits of political rhetoric, particularly during an increasingly competitive election season.

Political observers said party leaders should encourage citizens to participate freely in elections rather than make statements that could be interpreted as pressuring people to prioritise political loyalty over family relationships.

They also stressed that voting is an individual civic responsibility and that members of the same household are free to support different political parties or candidates.

The controversy comes as political parties across Nigeria intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the forthcoming elections, with politicians seeking support from community leaders, religious groups, traditional institutions, youths and other constituencies.

Observers have consequently urged political actors to focus their campaigns on policies, programmes and issues affecting citizens instead of rhetoric that could deepen social or family tensions.

Gadaka’s apology may help to ease the controversy, but the episode has highlighted the potential consequences of statements made by senior political figures at public gatherings, particularly when such comments are subsequently amplified on social media.

Stakeholders in Yobe are expected to continue advocating issue-based campaigns, peaceful political participation and respect for citizens’ individual voting rights as preparations for the elections gather momentum.

The incident also serves as a reminder to political leaders that jokes made in political settings can carry significant consequences when they touch on sensitive cultural, religious and family matters.