The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State, Alhaji Mohammed Gadaka, has issued an apology and formally withdrawn a controversial remark in which he urged married women to divorce husbands who prevent them from voting for the party in the 2027 general elections.
​The outrage was sparked during an APC political gathering and defection ceremony on Thursday, September 3, 2026, in Zone B of the Nangere Local Government Area.
While addressing a crowd of supporters in Hausa, Gadaka made extreme appeals for political loyalty, offering to cover dowries and marry women who were divorced over their support for the ruling party.
​”Tell your sister that if her husband does not agree and divorces her, I will pay her bride price and marry her,” Gadaka told the gathering.
​The comments triggered swift public outrage across the state. Local community members, social commentators, and Islamic scholars strongly condemned the statement, calling it reckless, provocative, and a threat to family values and marital stability.
​Following the heavy criticism, Gadaka released a short video statement on Friday, September 4, 2026, to retract his comments.
The clip was publicized by key state officials, including Mamman Mohammed, the Director-General of Press and Media Affairs to Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, and Abdullahi Bego, the Yobe State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information, and Culture.
​In the retraction video, Gadaka claimed his statement was misconstrued and was intended solely as traditional cultural banter rather than political policy.
Gadaka attributed his remarks to the age-old “joking relationship” between his ethnic group (Ngamo/Fika) and the Kare-Kare and Gamawa people of Nangere.
“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 stated in the video. “I offer apologies for my statement, and I hereby withdraw it.”
​Despite the swift apology, the incident underscores the intense political rhetoric in Yobe State as party leaders begin early mobilization for the 2027 general elections.
