Posted by Chinenye on Fri 04th Sep, 2026 - tori.ng
A political comment in Yobe has triggered fierce reactions after a senior APC figure made a controversial appeal to married women over voting.
(Mohammed Gadaka. Photo by ThNiche)
The Yobe State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress has stirred widespread anger after urging married women to abandon their marriages if their husbands prevent them from voting for the party in the coming elections.
Alhaji Mohammed Gadaka made the provocative remarks while receiving hundreds of new party members in Nangere town on Thursday, declaring that he would personally pay the bride price of any woman who left her husband over party loyalty.
The statement drew immediate backlash from residents and Islamic scholars who condemned it as reckless and dangerous, warning that such comments threaten to undermine family values and social cohesion.
The controversy forced Gadaka to backtrack, releasing a forty-two-second video on social media where he withdrew the remarks entirely.
In the retraction, Gadaka claimed his statement had been misunderstood and was merely intended as joking banter reflecting a traditional practice of teasing between his Ngamo people and Kare Kare speakers.
He stressed that his words were never meant to encourage divorce or represent his actual beliefs.
Gadaka issued a formal apology, stating that his comment did not reflect the ideals he stands for and requesting forgiveness from the public for the inflammatory language.