Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has served notice that the era of vote buying, behind-the-scenes lobbying, and financial inducement in the All Progressives Grand Alliance’s internal elections is over, announcing a sweeping set of reforms to the party’s primary election process that include the adoption of the open ballot Option A4 system and a strict ban on aspirants making private visits to party executives for the purpose of canvassing support.
Soludo delivered the message at the South-East zonal convention of APGA held at the International Convention Centre in Awka, where he also served as the occasion to lay out new conduct rules for party members ahead of the forthcoming primary elections.
He was candid in acknowledging that the reforms would be unpopular with members who had come to treat party politics as a source of income, but argued that the changes were necessary to protect the credibility and financial health of the party.
“I know that most of you may not be happy with this new strategy because you see politics and party membership as business. What we are doing is to cut wastefulness and also ensure the health and credibility of our party,” he said, adding that aspirants should conserve their resources for the main general election contest against rival parties rather than depleting them in the primary process.
Under the Option A4 system, voters physically queue behind their preferred candidate, making the outcome visible and transparent and eliminating the risk of secret ballot manipulation that had previously allowed candidates to pay for support that never materialised on polling day.
Soludo also announced that the party would no longer accommodate aspirants who occupied one position while simultaneously positioning for another. He directed members to declare their intentions clearly and commit to a single office, warning that those who used legislative seats as financial stepping stones toward gubernatorial ambitions would no longer find such conduct tolerated within APGA.
“If you are going to aspire to be governor, start now. We will not tolerate people occupying one seat and vying for another seat,” he said.
He also announced that all meetings between aspirants and members of the state executive would henceforth take place exclusively at the party office, making it strictly prohibited for aspirants to visit executives at their homes for the purpose of lobbying or financial inducement.
APGA National Chairman Sly Ezeokenwa reinforced the governor’s message by reading out a comprehensive code of conduct for party members, describing the new leadership’s agenda as one fundamentally oriented toward cleaning up the party’s internal processes.
