INEC fixes Nov 2025 for Anambra governorship election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Saturday, November 8, 2025, for the off-cycle governorship election in Anambra State.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Thursday at an extraordinary emergency meeting with the leadership of political parties in Abuja.

Yakubu said the decision was in line with Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which requires the Commission to issue the notice for elections not later than 360 days before the date of the election.

“This applies to the general as well as off-cycle governorship elections. 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, November 8, 2025,” Yakubu said.

Yakubu said the commission would, in compliance with the mandatory requirement of 360 days, publish the formal notice for the election on November 13, 2024.

According to the INEC chairman, while party primaries will be held from March 20, 2025, to April 10, 2025, the candidate nomination portal will open at 9:00 AM on April 18, 2025, and close at 6:00 PM on May 12, 2025.

He said the final list of candidates would be published on June 9, 2025, adding that campaigns in public by political parties would commence on June 11, 2025, and end at midnight on Thursday, November 6, 2025.

Yakubu said, “Voting will take place in all the 5,720 polling units across the state on Saturday, November 8, 2025. In the coming weeks, the Commission will provide details of other electoral activities, including the registration of new voters, the 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 to 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.”

On the upcoming Ondo State governorship election slated for November 16, Yakubu announced the commencement of the collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) from the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

He said cards would be available for collection at each of the 203 wards across the state from Thursday, October 17, to October 21, 2024, noting that thereafter, the cards would be available for collection in the commission’s 18 local government area offices in the state for one week.

“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,” he stated.