By Jude Atupulazi
The national leadership of Young Progressives Party (YPP) has condemned the admission by the Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, of vote buying, and is demanding an investigation.
In a press statement signed by Comrade Egbeola Wale Martins,
National Publicity Secretary, the party condemned in the strongest terms, the recent public admission by Soludo that his government engaged in acts of voter inducement during the last election by paying each ward the sum of N500, 000 and promising to increase it to N1m and N10m, respectively for every ward and LGA able to deliver the most votes for APGA in the forthcoming Anambra Gubernatorial Election.
‘The letter stated, ‘This blatant admission is a direct violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, which clearly criminalizes voter inducement or vote buying. Specifically, Section 121 (1) of the Act states that “A person who directly or indirectly, by himself or by any other person on his behalf, corruptly makes any gift, loan, offer, promise, procurement or agreement to or for any person in order to induce such person to procure or to endeavour to procure the return of any candidate at any election, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine or imprisonment or both.”
‘Furthermore, Section 121 (2) of the same Act provides that “A voter who accepts or takes such inducement also commits an offence and is liable to a fine or imprisonment.” These provisions are unambiguous and serve as a strong deterrent to electoral corruption.
‘It is therefore disappointing and deeply troubling that a sitting Governor, who should be a model of integrity and democratic values, has openly confessed to violating the very law he swore to uphold. This act not only undermines public trust in the electoral process but also erodes the moral fabric of our democracy.’
The YPP therefore called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, and the newly sworn-in Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) to treat this matter as a litmus test of their commitment to upholding the rule of law and protecting the sanctity of elections.
It said that while the Governor may currently enjoy constitutional immunity, all individuals and officials who facilitated or executed this illegality must be identified, arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
‘We find it regrettable that Governor Soludo, who once promised to transform Anambra State into the “Dubai and Taiwan of Africa,” has instead resorted to crude electoral manipulation to sustain political relevance. If the Governor had lived up to his campaign promises, he would not need to rely on vote buying, his performance would have spoken for him,’ the statement said.
The YPP enjoined the people of Anambra State to hold Prof. Soludo responsible for what it described as his failed electoral promises and reject any attempt to mortgage their future for temporary handouts.
‘The time has come to embrace a new order of transformational leadership anchored on accountability, innovation and genuine service to the people which are the ideals that the Young Progressives Party proudly represents,’ it stated.
