Abuja, NIGERIA — The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that political parties will commence their primaries for the 2025 Anambra State governorship election on March 20, 2025, with the process expected to end by April 10, 2025.
INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in a statement released on Thursday.
He reminded political parties of the importance of adhering to the election timetable, adding that the governorship election remains scheduled for November 8, 2025.
“The Commission held its regular weekly meeting today, Thursday, March 6, 2025. Among other issues, the Commission reviewed its preparations for the forthcoming off-cycle governorship election in Anambra State, scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 2025.
“The public may recall that in line with the provision of Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, the Commission published the Notice of Election on November 13, 2024, over 360 days before the date fixed for the election.
“By the provision of the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election, the conduct of primaries for the nomination of candidates by political parties commences in the next two weeks, i.e. March 20, 2025, and ends on April 10, 2025,” Olumekun stated.
According to INEC, 12 out of the 19 registered political parties in the country have so far submitted their schedules for the primaries. The commission stressed that early submission allows for proper monitoring in line with Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.
INEC urged the remaining seven political parties yet to submit their schedules to do so without delay.
“As agreed at our last consultative meeting with political parties held in January, early submission enables the Commission to effectively plan for the monitoring of the primaries in line with the provisions of Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.
“The seven parties that are yet to submit the required information are hereby reminded to do so in earnest,” the statement added.
The electoral body also cautioned political parties against last-minute changes to their primaries’ dates, venues, or formats, warning that such alterations could disrupt its monitoring efforts and increase logistical costs.
“Sudden changes to the dates, venues, and modes of the primaries lead to avoidable demobilisation and remobilisation of our monitoring staff, thereby disrupting the Commission’s workflow.
“This also adds to the cost of monitoring primaries and the overall conduct of elections and electoral activities,” the statement read.
INEC reiterated its commitment to conducting a free, fair, and credible election and urged political parties to comply with the guidelines to ensure a smooth electoral process.
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