Governor Charles Soludo has announced that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) will no longer tolerate the distribution of cash or gifts during its primary elections, as part of efforts to strengthen internal democracy.

Soludo made this known on Saturday at the party’s South-east zonal stakeholders’ meeting in Awka, where he criticised past practices that allegedly allowed party officials to exploit aspirants through financial inducements. He said such actions had hindered the party’s growth since its formation in 2002 and weakened its institutional development.

According to him, the era of “transactional politics” within the party has ended, stressing that political participation must be guided by values, policies, and accountability rather than financial influence. He added that previous practices discouraged credible aspirants and eroded trust within the party.

The governor urged stakeholders to reposition APGA as a transparent and ideologically driven platform, insisting that party tickets are not for sale. He also noted that the sharing of party funds in the past had undermined sustainable financing and organisational stability.

APGA National Chairman, Sylvester Ezeokenwa, announced an 11-point code of conduct to guide future primaries, aimed at promoting transparency, fairness, and accountability. He said the framework would address longstanding issues associated with flawed nomination processes.

Ezeokenwa disclosed that the party would adopt the Option A4 voting system for its 2026 primaries to improve openness in the electoral process. He added that the new guidelines prohibit party officials from wearing campaign materials, accepting gifts, or participating in private endorsement events linked to aspirants.

He further explained that aspirants would initially pay only expression of interest fees, with nomination fees to follow after successful screening, as part of efforts to streamline the process.

Also speaking, the party’s National Vice Chairman (South-East), Augustine Ehiemere, identified inadequate funding as a major challenge facing the party. He called on elected and appointed officials under APGA to support efforts aimed at ensuring its financial sustainability.