The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has clarified that Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s promise to give N1 million to every ward won by the party in the November 8 governorship election is not an attempt to buy votes, but a strategy to encourage voter participation and reduce low voter turnout.
Governor Soludo, who is also the APGA candidate, made the announcement during a campaign rally in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area, creating widespread controversy. During the event, he promised that each ward where APGA secures victory will get N1 million, while the top three highest-performing wards will receive additional rewards of N5 million, N3 million, and N2 million respectively.
According to Soludo, this same reward system was used during the Senate campaigns, where every ward won by APGA in Orumba South received N1 million.
However, opposition parties and civil society organisations have accused the governor of using money to influence voters, describing the move as a violation of the Electoral Act.
Reacting to these accusations, APGA’s National Publicity Secretary, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, released a statement on Sunday defending the initiative. He argued that the promise is aimed at motivating voters and improving participation, not bribing them.
Opara explained that voter turnout in Anambra has been very low for years. He pointed out that in the 2021 election, although there were 2.7 million registered voters, fewer than 200,000 actually voted. He said the financial rewards are meant to create healthy competition among party members to mobilize more people to vote.
“This is not vote-buying,” Opara insisted. “It is simply an incentive to encourage participation. APGA is already the dominant party in Anambra and does not need to buy votes to win.”
He also reminded the public of the incident involving a woman from Ukwulu who rejected a cash offer to vote for another party, saying that Anambra voters cannot be easily influenced by money.
Opara added that APGA’s target is to secure at least one million votes in the upcoming election, and the incentives are meant to help achieve that goal by preventing voter complacency.
So far, 16 candidates from different political parties have declared interest in contesting the November 8 governorship election against the incumbent governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who is seeking re-election.
