Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, has accused past leaders of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) since 2002 of trading with the party, instead of growing it.
Speaking at a South East stakeholders meeting of the party in Awka, yesterday, Soludo blamed the stunted growth of the party since its creation in 2002 on past leadership, whom he accused of using the party to do business by ripping off aspirants during primary elections.
Soludo stated that the era of marketing or trading with the party has gone, adding that the bane of the party’s growth since it’s registration was the role of past leaderships of the party, who used it to trade to the detriment of the party. “How can you fund the party when the party has no purse and the Treasurer and Financial Secretary of the party do not keep money because whatever money that gets into the party is shared?”
“Why the party has not grown is because the past leaderships used the party to do business and use the party to trade and this must stop. “We must go back to the drawing board and find out what went wrong and be accountable to the party” “Our tickets are not for sale and we are rebuilding the party to what a political party should be and not a party for trading.
“We must begin to reward party loyalty because in 2002, thousands of people joined this party but most of them are not with the party today, ” he said. Ahead of the 2026 primary elections, APGA handed down an 11 point Code Of Conduct to aspirants and officials of the party.
The National Chairman of APGA, Sylvester Ezeokenwa, during the meeting explained that these were aimed at ensuring transparency ,equity and internal democracy in the party. Ezeokenwa announced that the mode for the 2026 primary elections in 2026 is option A4 or open secret balloting.
According to Ezeokenwa: “In the past, APGA had been faced with so many challenges and problems arising from primary elections and this has been the bane of the party and that explains why we have these rules and regulations.”
“Party officials from the wards to the states and Local Government Area as well as the National level have been banned from wearing the campaign clothes or gifts of any aspirant. “Also, no more payment for nomination forms but only expression of interest fees and after screening process and you emerge, then you pay for nomination forms.
“Party officials are not allowed to attend endorsement and declaration meetings of aspirants and the meeting must not be in a private residence but at the party office. “No party officials are allowed to endorse any aspirant and if an official is so passionate about an aspirant, he should temporarily hand over to the next one charge ”
Ezeokenwa also announced that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party also banned aspirants from sharing money during primary elections and that, that may lead to disqualification.
“The presentation of money for Kola Nut and sharing of gift by aspirants have also been banned”, he said. National Vice Chairman, South East of the party, Chief Augustine Ehiemere, lamented that the problems of growth of the party was lack of funding. “Political activities require logistics.
Mobilization requires resources and party administration requires funding. Without it, offices cannot function. Mobilization cannot be sustained and campaigns cannot be competitive. “Repeat deliberately that because funding is not just a factor, it is a foundation ” he said.
