Senator Shehu Sani has called on former Governor Ayodele Fayose to apologise for saying northerners marry several women and reproduce too many children. 

In a tweet on Tuesday, Mr Sani described the former Ekiti governor’s remarks as unreasonable and condescending. 

“Even though Fayose spoke as an individual,” Mr Sani said, “his reported statement on northerners is contemptuous and unconscionable.”

The former senator urged Mr Fayose to retract his statement and issue an apology. 

“I suggest he should humbly withdraw it and tender an apology as a statesman,” Mr Sani stressed.

On Monday, Mr Fayose suggested that the practice of marrying multiple wives and having many children among northerners exacerbates Nigeria’s population crisis and puts more pressure on the government.

Mr Fayose’s comments have elicited mixed reactions across Nigeria, with opinions divided between those who support his views and those who find them objectionable.