Hadiza Isma El‑Rufai, the first wife of former Kaduna governor Nasir El‑Rufai, says she grew up in a monogamous household and never expected to become part of a polygamous marriage.
When they wed under Islamic law, the topic of a second wife never came up, and she imagined a monogamous life.
Over time, her husband chose to take additional wives, and Hadiza found herself in a polygamous setup “not by choice initially, but subsequently by choice,” because she decided to stay after the transformation.
She notes that Islamic law gives a woman the right to leave and return the dowry, but she chose to remain, joking that she’d already “chopped” her dowry. As the first wife, she points out practical benefits: more time for her career and children, and shared in‑law responsibilities, while she sees no clear advantage for the man. She now has three co‑wives—Asia Ahmad, Aisha Ummi Garba, and a fourth wife, Aichatou Assabe, who was publicly introduced in 2025.
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