The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), has fixed the next Anambra State Governorship election for November 8, 2025.
The INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu announced this at the fourth regular quarterly consultative meetings with political parties at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
Yakubu said the date was chosen in compliance with Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 which required INEC to issue the notice for elections not later than 360 days before the date of the election.
“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,” he added.
Yakubu also said INEC has successfully accomplished 10 out of the 13 activities listed in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Ondo governorship election.
He said the remaining activities include the publication of the notice of poll, the last day of campaign and election day, adding that the distribution of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) from the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) commenced Thursday in Ondo state.
In his remarks, chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yusuf Dantalle noted that Nigerians expect INEC to improve on the forthcoming Ondo State gubernatorial poll.
Yusuf Dantalle said urgent steps should be taken to ameliorate the hardship millions of Nigerians were facing today as that would spur their political participation that will give more credence to the electoral process.
“Council urges stakeholders in the electoral process to join in voter education, sensitisation and mobilisation to ensure a free, fair, credible, transparent, inclusive, and peaceful election that will meet international standards.
“IPAC will lead from the front in voter mobilisation as a major stakeholder, and urges political parties and their candidates to imbibe issue-based campaigns and eschew politics of bitterness,” he said.
