Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has ignited a political firestorm after pledging a N1 million reward for every ward his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), wins in the forthcoming November 8 governorship election.
The promise, made at a party campaign rally in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area, has drawn sharp condemnation from opposition parties and civil society organisations, who have labelled it as blatant vote-buying and a gross violation of the Electoral Act.
The Governor’s Promise
Speaking to party supporters on Saturday, Governor Soludo detailed the incentive, referencing a similar scheme from a previous election.
”When we were campaigning for the Senate… we still had some incentives,” he stated. “Any ward that APGA won received N1m… 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.”
He then outlined the plan for the November 8 poll: “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 controversy erupts as approximately 2.8 million registered voters prepare to participate in the election, where 16 political parties are vying for the governorship. The new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has previously stressed the election’s importance for consolidating the nation’s democracy.
Opposition Parties Allege Vote-Buying
The pledge drew immediate and fierce backlash from rival parties.
- All Progressives Congress (APC): Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu, the APC’s National Vice Chairman in the South-East, called the move “clearly… vote-buying and against the electoral law.” He added, “Soludo has been carrying out undemocratic activities… We will write to INEC, EFCC, police, and other relevant security agencies about his actions.”
- African Democratic Congress (ADC): Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, described Soludo’s promise as “a public confession of vote-buying” and urged INEC to act swiftly.
- Labour Party (LP): The LP accused the governor of “weaponising poverty.” National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh stated, “This is vote-buying and manipulation. He has failed in governance and now wants to buy legitimacy with money. We will raise this matter at the next stakeholders’ meeting with INEC.”
- Peoples Democratic Party (PDP): Mike Ahumibe, a former PDP Zonal Organising Secretary, argued the pledge “undermined electoral integrity,” adding, “Once there is money involved, it is no longer free and fair. Elections should be about the people’s choice, not about who can pay the most.”
CSOs Demand Investigation, Call Pledge ‘Dangerous’
Civil society organisations joined the chorus of condemnation, urging electoral and anti-graft agencies to intervene.
Debo Adeniran, Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), termed the action “reprehensible.” He argued Soludo had “institutionalised vote-buying” and committed an “electoral crime.” Adeniran asserted, “INEC… should take exceptional notice of it and apply the appropriate section of the law… His immunity doesn’t cover electoral offences.”
Alhaji Yabagi Sani, former National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), called the move a “dangerous precedent” and an “open attempt to commercialise the electoral process.” He noted the funds in question are “the people’s money” and called on INEC, the police, and the EFCC to investigate.
Election monitoring group YIAGA Africa also described the promise as a “threat to democracy.” Jennifer Dafwat, the group’s Media and Communication Officer, stated the pledge highlights “a deep-rooted problem in Nigeria’s political culture.”
”Vote-buying is not limited to the act of exchanging money on election day,” Dafwat said. “What Governor Soludo said clearly falls within that category,” arguing such offers exploit widespread poverty and turn elections into “transactions rather than contests of ideas and competence.”
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