The Yobe State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mohammed Gadaka, has advised married women to divorce their husbands if they stop them from voting for the party in the upcoming general elections.
Gadaka gave the charge on Thursday when he received hundreds of defectors into the party.
He pledged to pay the “new bride price” of any woman who left her marriage over allegiance to the party.
The comment has sparked outrage across the state, with many residents, including Islamic scholars, describing it as reckless, provocative and capable of undermining family values.
Following the backlash, Gadaka withdrew the statement in a 42-second video posted on the Facebook page of the Director-General, Press and Media Affairs to Governor Mai Mala Buni, Mamma Mohammed.
The APC chairman said his comment was misconstrued and was intended as “joking banter” based on the age-old practice of teasing between his Ngamo people and the Kare-Kare-speaking people.
“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.
“I offer apologies for my statement, and I hereby withdraw it,” he added.