By Vincent Ujumadu
The Anambra State government has said that Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s promise to members of his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, during political rallies, that political wards where APGA wins the November 8 election would be rewarded later was to fight voter apathy not to buy votes.
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Reacting to allegations by opposition political parties that the promise amounted to vote- buying, the press secretary to the governor, Mr. Christian Aburime said the aim of the promise was to fight voter apathy during the election and therefore, should not be interpreted as vote-buying.
Aburime said it is essential to examine the context in which the statement was made and clarify the true nature of the incentives mentioned by Governor Soludo, which, he argued, are entirely legitimate and in line with democratic principles.
Governor Soludo too has also emphasized that the incentives promised were not meant to buy votes, but to motivate party canvassers to mobilize voters.
While addressing party supporters during one of his campaigns, Soludo had stated. “Don’t sit at home and say Soludo has won. We have to win when you have voted. We in APGA stand for one man, one vote, transparent, free and fair election. We are going to cooperate with INEC to make sure that this will be the freest, most credible election ever conducted by INEC.”
Insisting that the statement did not translate to compromising voters, the governor’s press secretary said that Governor Soludo likened the incentives to a manufacturer rewarding his marketers for increased sales, which is a legitimate exercise.
He said: “Remember that members of political parties constitute less than five percent of voters. So, it is members of our political party as canvassers who will be given the incentive to mobilize voters to the polling units. In politics all over the world, including America, political parties pay canvassers before elections.
“But in our own case, we are not paying them before the election. We say to them that if they win their wards, we will have a prize for them. Definitely, the rewards coming for party canvassers (not voters) after the election cannot qualify as someone inducing voters before the election.
“Governor Soludo has repeatedly emphasized his commitment to a free, fair, and transparent election. He has called for cooperation with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the election is credible and that every vote counts.
“We just want people to cast the votes, count the votes, announce the votes and know who the winner will be. His call for voters to cast their ballots and for the results to be accurately announced clearly underscores his dedication to democratic principles.
But the real issue in this is voter apathy. One of the key challenges in any election in contemporary Nigeria is voter apathy. Governor Soludo’s incentives are designed to combat this issue by motivating canvassers to engage with voters and encourage participation.”
“So, if you work hard and convince people to come out to vote, then we have a reward for you after the election. This is necessary due to voter apathy, which was a problem in previous elections.”
The governor’s press secretary argued that the allegation of vote buying against Governor Chukwuma Soludo was unfounded and misleading.”His statements about providing incentives are clear, noble and competition-driven; they are meant to reward the hard work of party canvassers and to combat voter apathy.”
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