The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to launch investigations into a recent conduct by Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
The request, communicated by the APC’s National Secretary, Ajibola Bashiru, in an interview with the Punch, comes after Soludo offered cash incentives to party supporters in wards that deliver victory in the upcoming election.
Naija News reports that on October 25, during a campaign rally in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area, Soludo, who is the governorship candidate for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the forthcoming Anambra Governorship Election, pledged monetary rewards to wards based on election results.
At the rally, Soludo said, “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 N1 million, and we won all the wards in Orumba South.
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“We promised each of these wards ₦1 million, and next week, we will redeem it. The ward that comes first will receive ₦ 5m, the second ₦ 3m, and the third ₦2m. That was the deal. For November 8, any ward that wins again will receive N1 m, while the first three performing wards will get ₦5 million, ₦2 m, and ₦1 m respectively.”
The APC insists the pledge amounts to an inducement that could compromise the integrity of the electoral process.
Ajibola Bashiru described the governor’s statement as “a reflection of desperation and lack of confidence,” arguing that, “If he has been in office for over three years and cannot campaign based on his performance and impact on the people, it shows that he is challenged and needs to be voted out.”
He asked INEC to “probe this matter and issue a public warning against such conduct,” and urged the police to investigate APGA’s campaign finances to ensure compliance with electoral laws.
APC ‘Pathetic Opposition’
Responding to the accusations, Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, dismissed the APC as a “pathetic opposition” in the state, pointing out that the party lacks representation, “no councillor, no local government chairman, no member in the House of Assembly or National Assembly.”
In his view, the governor’s remarks were intended “to boost voter turnout, not buy votes.” He clarified, “Governor Soludo has not offered any reward to those who would vote for him, but rather to all registered voters generally, regardless of party affiliation. His concern is the low voter turnout in Anambra elections, where only about 200,000 out of 2.7 million registered voters participated in the last poll.”
Mefor also upheld Soludo’s performance in office: “Soludo doesn’t need to pay anyone to vote for him. People are eager to return him because of his performance. Nearly every community in Anambra has contributed millions to his re-election fund, something unprecedented in the state.”
Naija News reports that with the Anambra State governorship election just days away, the controversy adds a charged political dimension to the campaign in Anambra State.
The questions now facing INEC and the police are whether the pledge constitutes an electoral offence and whether sufficient oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure fair play.
For voters, the issue touches on both the integrity of the election and the accountability of campaign promises.
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