The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Thursday announced Saturday 8th November 2025 as the date for the next Anambra state governorship election.
To this end, the Commission said the party primaries would be held in the state from 20th March 2025 to 10th April 2025.
INEC Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu announced this at the quarterly consultative meeting with political parties, saying the formal notice for the election would be published on 13th November 2024, in compliance with the mandatory requirement of 360 days.
Yakubu stated that the nomination portal would open at 9.00am on 18th April 2025 and close at 6.00pm on 12th May 2025 while the final list of candidates would be published 9th June 2025.
The INEC boss added that campaign in public by political parties would commence on 11th June 2025 and end midnight of Thursday 6th November 2025, while voting would take place in all the 5,720 polling units across the state Saturday 8th November 2025.
Yakubu said: “As you are aware, the last governorship election in Anambra State was held on 6th November 2021. By the effluxion of time, the governorship election is due next year.
“Consequently, the Commission has approved that the 2025 Anambra state governorship election will hold on Saturday 8th November 2025.
“In compliance with the mandatory requirement of 360 days, the formal notice for the election will be published on 13th November 2024. Party primaries will be held from 20th March 2025 to 10th April 2025.
“The candidate nomination portal will open at 9.00am on 18th April 2025 and close at 6.00pm on 12th May 2025. The final list of candidates will be published on 9th June 2025. Campaign in public by political parties will commence on 11th June 2025 and end at midnight of Thursday 6th November 2025.
“Voting will take place in all the 5,720 polling units across the state on Saturday 8th November 2025. In the coming weeks, the Commission will provide details of other electoral activities, including the registration of new voters, transfer of voters and the replacement of lost or damaged PVCs.
“The detailed Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2025 Anambra state governorship election will be uploaded to our website and social media platforms before the end of this meeting. Hard copies will also be made available to you shortly.
“I urge political parties to use the INEC Timetable to come up with your own Timetable and Schedule of Activities to enable us work together and plan better for the deployment of personnel and resources for the monitoring of your party primaries and campaign activities.
“By doing so, you will avoid the last minute rush with the attendant inability to meet deadlines. We will discuss this important matter at this meeting.”
…Ondo polls
The INEC chairman also explained the extent of preparation for the November 16 governorship election in Ondo state, adding that out of 13 activities in the timetable, the commission had carried out 10, remaining publication of the notice of poll, the last day of campaign and election day.
While commending all political parties fielding candidates for the full compliance with the requirements for the upload, he said the Commission was working in earnest to ensure that “we deliver the identification tags for each of the 24,148 agents uploaded to our portal.”
He added: “The Commission is also glad to report that the collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) from the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) commenced today in Ondo state. For the next five days (17th – 21st October 2024), the cards will be available for collection at each of the 203 wards across the state.
“Thereafter, the cards will be available for collection in our 18 Local Government Area offices in the state for one week (23rd – 29th October 2024). As earlier announced, the centres will be open to citizens from 9am–5pm daily.
“A document containing the names and location addresses of the 221 collection centres has already been uploaded to our website for public information. As usual, we appeal to political parties to support the Commission in mobilising registered voters to collect their PVCs.
“To make the process easier, we have also uploaded the register containing the names and photographs of new voters (fresh registrants, transfers and applications for replacement of lost or damaged PVCs to our website to facilitate a seamless collection of the cards.”
…Abure back into meeting
Meanwhile, the Commission has re-admitted Labour Party into the meeting of political parties, after it barred the Julius Abure-led party from the consultative meeting in August on the ground of existence of factions in the party.
But at the meeting with the parties in Abuja Thursday, the LP on the official invitation by INEC, were the LP National Secretary, Mallam Umar Farouk and the National Publicity Secretary, Pastor Obiora Ifoh, while Abure was conspicuously absent.