The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State, Alhaji Muhammad Gadaka, has urged married women whose husbands prevent them from voting for the party to divorce them, saying he would personally pay their dowries.

Gadaka made the controversial call on Thursday while addressing an APC campaign rally in Nangere, Yobe State.

Speaking in a video shared by News Central, the party chairman told women not to allow their husbands to dictate their political choices.

“If your husband won’t allow you to vote for APC, stand up to him and seek a divorce. If you leave the marriage, I will pay your dowry and marry you,” he said.

The comment sparked criticism from residents and Islamic scholars, who described it as reckless and provocative and warned that it could have negative consequences for families and marital relationships.

Gadaka later apologised and withdrew the statement, saying his remark had been misconstrued and was intended as a joke.

In a video posted on Friday by the Yobe State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Abdullahi Bego, Gadaka said the comment did not reflect his values or an intention to encourage divorce.

“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.

“I offer apologies for my statement, and I hereby withdraw it,” he said.

The controversy comes days after the Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, was criticised over a reported threat to flog people who refused to support the APC in the 2027 election.

The two incidents have drawn attention to the increasingly combative rhetoric being deployed by some APC officials as political parties intensify mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.