The Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sylvester Ezeokenwa, has dismissed reports that Governor Charles Soludo promised to pay party members to mobilize voters, saying the governor’s remarks were misinterpreted.
Speaking on Arise News, Ezeokenwa explained that Soludo only urged party members to help boost voter participation, not to engage in vote buying or inducement.
“The statement by the governor was misunderstood. What he meant was that party members should help improve voter turnout, not that anyone would be paid to vote,” he said.
NewsNGR reports that Soludo while addressing supporters at a campaign rally in Orumba South Local Government Area, had announced that each ward won by APGA in the coming election would receive N1m, with the top three performing wards getting N5m, N2m, and N1m respectively.
The statement sparked criticism from opposition parties and rights groups, who accused him of attempting to induce votes in violation of the Electoral Act.
However, Ezeokenwa clarified that the governor’s pledge was not meant as a cash-for-votes scheme but as an incentive to encourage higher voter turnout and healthy competition among party members.
He noted that voter apathy has long been a major challenge in Anambra State, where only about 300,000 voters participate out of 2.8 million registered voters.
“That’s just about 10 to 15 per cent. The governor believes this must change. Even the sections of the Electoral Act being referred to clearly define what constitutes an offence. The governor’s statement does not fall under that category. His call was for civic engagement, not inducement,” he said.
He said the governor and the APGA campaign team have been touring local government areas to engage directly with the people, encouraging them to register, vote, and take ownership of the political process.
Turning to the election itself, Ezeokenwa said APGA is fully confident of victory, describing the people as deeply connected to the party’s history and record of performance.
“Anambra is APGA. If you check the progress of the state from the time of Peter Obi to Willie Obiano and now Charles Soludo, you will see steady growth and development,” he said.
He listed several achievements of Governor Soludo, including road construction, healthcare reform, the renovation of public health institutions in all 826 wards, new general hospitals, free antenatal and postnatal care for mothers, free education, human capital development programmes, and major security improvements.
Ezeokenwa said in the last six to nine months, insecurity has been reduced to near zero adding that the people’s excitement about Soludo’s performance is so strong that many communities have taken ownership of the campaign.
“For the first time, we are seeing people voluntarily come out to support the campaign of a political party. Communities are saying, ‘You have delivered, we will campaign for you with our own resources.’ That has never happened before in this country,” he said.
He also recalled the results of the last by-election in Anambra, saying APGA recorded about 99 per cent victory across polling units, which he said reflected the governor’s wide acceptance.
“We couldn’t have been any luckier as a party. We are upbeat and confident that we will win this election by a wide margin,” he said.
Ezeokenwa maintained that APGA’s confidence rests on its performance and the continued trust of the people, not on inducements or financial promises.
“Our greatest asset is the performance of our leaders. The people have seen what APGA governments have done, and that is why they continue to stand with us,” he said.
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