A pro-democracy group, the Centre for Human Rights Advocacy & Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS) has called for an investigation into a public statement reportedly made by Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, in which he pledged significant cash rewards to any ward that gives its votes to him.
Soludo made the pledge during one of his electioneering campaigns, ahead of the November 8 Governorship Election in the state.
The CEHRAWS has described the open promise of monetary reward, as a brazen attempt to purchase the electoral will of citizens, in violation of Nigeria’s electoral laws.
The Executive Director of the CEHRAWS, Chuka Okoye, in an exclusive chat with The News Chronicle correspondent in Awka, said such conduct is not only morally reprehensible but manifestly unlawful.
He cited the Electoral Act 2022, alongside other criminal statutes governing bribery and corrupt practices, which made it an offence to offer, promise, or pay money to influence how citizens vote.
The CEHRAWS boss called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently and publicly investigate this incident and take appropriate enforcement action.
“The Act and the INEC Guidelines on Electoral Offences explicitly prohibit any act of inducement or vote-buying that undermines free, fair, and credible elections.
“Beyond the clear electoral breach, the Governor’s statement raises grave concerns regarding potential misuse of public funds and abuse of executive power.
Should the pledged funds be drawn from the public purse, the act would amount to an abuse of office and a probable contravention of extant fiscal and anti-corruption laws, including the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act and the Finance (Control & Management) Act, which regulate the lawful application of public monies.
“CEHRAWS therefore urges the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other anti-corruption bodies to immediately determine whether public funds are being, or intended to be, used to finance this act of vote-buying, and to prosecute offenders where evidence supports such violation,” he said.
Okoye, who described the action as governance rascality dressed as political mobilization, asserted that a governor’s office exists to steward public resources for the common good, not to commodify citizens’ votes or convert public monies into campaign instruments.
He said the pledge if genuine, displays fiscal recklessness and contempt for the rule of law, insisting that civil society cannot stand idly by while public officials openly invite voters to trade their franchise for cash.
The group demanded that the governor must publicly retract the pledge, clarify the source of the promised funds, and affirm that no state resources will be used for electoral inducement.
“Should any public monies be linked to this scheme, CEHRAWS demands an immediate forensic audit, recovery of misapplied funds, and prosecution of those responsible.
“INEC, ICPC, and civil society groups must intensify voter education and field monitoring, particularly in Orumba North and South LGAs and other at-risk communities, to deter vote-buying and document any inducement attempts.
“CEHRAWS will not remain passive. The organisation will lodge formal complaints with INEC and the ICPC, provide any verified evidence to investigators, and, where necessary, seek judicial intervention to prevent the perversion of the people’s will.
“We call on all civil society organisations, political parties committed to democracy, and citizens of Anambra State to unite in condemning this attempt to monetise electoral participation,” it said.
