Governor Charles Soludo has declared an end to monetary inducement and transactional politics in the primaries of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), vowing to reposition the party on the foundations of transparency and accountability.
Soludo made the declaration on Saturday in Awka during the party’s South-East zonal stakeholders’ meeting, where he linked APGA’s slow growth since its formation in 2002 to entrenched practices of financial exploitation during candidate selection processes.
“The era of marketing party tickets is over. Parties must be driven by values, policies and accountability, not commerce,” the governor said.
He criticised what he described as a long-standing culture in which party officials allegedly turned primaries into profit-making ventures, discouraging credible aspirants and weakening internal democracy.
According to him, the misuse of party funds and lack of sustainable financing structures had stalled the party’s institutional development.
“The party has not grown because past leaderships treated it as a business venture. That must stop,” Soludo added, urging stakeholders to rebuild APGA into a transparent and ideologically driven political platform.
The governor also lamented that some aspirants were misled after making financial commitments, a situation he said eroded trust and discouraged genuine participation in the party’s processes.
“Our tickets are not for sale. We are rebuilding the party into what it should be, not a trading post,” he said, warning that “give-and-take” politics within APGA had come to an end.
In a move to reinforce the reforms, APGA National Chairman, Sylvester Ezeokenwa, announced an 11-point code of conduct to guide future primaries.
Ezeokenwa said the new framework is designed to promote transparency, equity and internal democracy, while addressing recurring disputes in the party’s nomination processes.
He disclosed that the party would adopt the Option A4 voting system for its 2026 primaries to enhance openness and accountability.
Under the new guidelines, party officials are barred from wearing campaign materials, accepting gifts, or participating in any form of inducement during primaries. The distribution of money or items to delegates has also been expressly prohibited.
“Even presenting money as kola nut or gift-sharing has been banned,” Ezeokenwa said.
He added that aspirants would only pay expression of interest fees at the initial stage, with nomination fees required only after successful screening.
The chairman further directed that party officials must not attend private endorsement events and should step aside if they choose to support any aspirant.
Earlier, the party’s South-East National Vice Chairman, Augustine Ehiemere, identified inadequate funding as a major challenge confronting the party.
Ehiemere called on elected and appointed officials under APGA to contribute to its financial sustainability, noting that political activities require significant resources for mobilisation and administration.
The reforms signal a decisive attempt by APGA’s leadership to overhaul its internal processes and restore confidence in its primaries ahead of future elections.
