Israel Oluyemi
Governor Charles Soludo has warned All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) aspirants to steer clear of vote buying as the party intensifies efforts to sanitise its primary election process ahead of the 2026 polls.
He issued the caution in Awka during a South-East stakeholders’ meeting, where party leaders discussed new measures aimed at strengthening internal democracy and restoring credibility to the nomination process.
Soludo insisted that APGA must end financial inducement in primaries, stressing that political contests should reflect ideas, competence, and public trust rather than monetary influence.
He said past practices that linked party nominations to financial exchanges had weakened trust within the organisation and slowed its growth over the years.
He maintained that APGA must abandon what he described as transactional politics and focus on rebuilding a system anchored on accountability and transparency.
“The era of marketing party tickets is over. Parties must be driven by values, policies, and accountability, not commerce,” he said.
He also stated that the party could no longer tolerate a culture in which aspirants gained an advantage through financial pressure or inducements.
APGA National Chairman Sylvester Ezeokenwa, at the meeting, introduced an 11-point code of conduct to regulate future primaries and enforce discipline among party officials and aspirants.
Ezeokenwa said the party would adopt the Option A4 voting system for the 2026 primaries to improve openness and reduce manipulation.
“In the past, flawed primaries undermined APGA. Clear rules are needed to address these challenges,” he said.
He explained that the new framework prohibits cash gifts, campaign materials, and any form of inducement during nomination exercises.
He added that party officials must remain neutral throughout the process and avoid participating in endorsement events for any aspirant.
He also disclosed that aspirants will first pay an expression of interest fees before proceeding to nomination fees after screening.
South-East Vice Chairman Augustine Ehiemere earlier highlighted funding constraints as a major challenge affecting party administration.
He called on elected and appointed officials under the party platform to contribute more resources to sustain logistics and operations.