The All Progressives Grand Alliance said on Sunday that Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s cash reward promise for every ward won by his party in the forthcoming November 8 governorship election is not an act of vote-buying but a strategic move to encourage healthy competition and voter participation across the state.
It was earlier reported that Soludo, who is also the APGA candidate in the election, stirred controversy after announcing the reward during the party’s campaign rally in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area, on Saturday.
The governor had promised to give his party supporters cash incentives for every ward won, saying, “When we were campaigning for the Senate, we knew we were going to win every ward in the South Senatorial Zone, but we still had some incentives. Any ward that APGA won received N1m, and we won all the wards in Orumba South.
“We promised each of these wards N1m and next week, we will redeem it. The ward that comes first will get N5m, the second N3m and the third N2m. That was the deal. For November 8, any ward that wins again will receive N1m, while the first three performing wards will get N5m, N2m and N1m respectively.”
The pledge has provoked backlash from opposition parties and civil society organisations, who described the move as an open inducement and a gross violation of the Electoral Act.
But reacting in a statement on Sunday, the National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, defended the governor’s action, insisting that it was designed to tackle voter apathy and inspire massive turnout during the polls.
Opara said the initiative would create a sense of competition that would translate into increased voter participation, stressing that it should not be mistaken for vote-buying.
He said, “If you take a close look at elections in Anambra over the years, you would notice a high level of voter apathy.
“For instance, in 2021, Anambra had 2.7 million registered voters, yet less than two hundred thousand of that number decided that election — that’s if you add the total votes gotten by all the political parties.
“Now, this is not about vote-buying in any way; it is about initiating healthy competition amongst members of our party across wards and local governments. A competition that will translate into increased voter participation, not vote-buying by any stretch of the imagination.
“We know, and even the opposition knows, that APGA is the dominant party and does not require any kind of inducement to win elections here.
“The converse is the reality for the opposition in Anambra. Recall the popular Ukwulu woman who rejected monetary inducement to vote for another party that isn’t APGA. That incident remains a classic example of how Ndi Anambra cannot be bought during consequential elections.
“Again, as a party, we are not unmindful of a phenomenon we have described as the ‘complacency of the majority’ — a situation where everybody believes everybody will vote, and in the end, only a few come out to vote out of the majority.”
According to him, APGA’s goal is not only to win the election but also to mobilise and fully utilise the party’s electoral strength to hit the one-million-vote mark.
“To achieve this, appropriate incentives in the form of healthy competition have to be put in place. If anyone finds this disturbing, then there is something about voter apathy that works in their strategic interest,” he added.
About 16 candidates from 16 political parties are contesting in the November 8 governorship election to wrest power from the incumbent governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who is seeking re-election.
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