..Awaits parties programme of activities
By: Mercy Peter
Political parties in the country are expected to conduct their primaries to pick their governorship candidates for the Anambra election between 20th March and 10th April, 2025, NewsSpecng learnt on Wednesday.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed 8 November 2025 for the Governorship election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu therefore urged political parties that are yet to submit their schedules of activites to the Commission to do so.
Yakubu issued the reminder during the first quarterly consultative meeting with the leadership of all the registered political parties in the country.
He said: “You may recall that at our fourth regular consultative meeting held on Thursday 17th October last year, the Commission released the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Anambra State Governorship election holding on Saturday 8th November 2025.
“Already, the Notice of Election has been published over two months ago as provided in the Timetable. The next activity is the conduct of primaries by political parties.
“May I remind leaders of political parties that primaries for the nomination of candidates for the Anambra State Governorship election begins in the next two months i.e. 20th March to 10th April 2025. You may similarly recall that at our last regular meeting, we agreed that you will forward your schedule of activities for the election to the Commission 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 in order to avoid the last minute rush with the attendant inability to meet deadlines and unnecessarily dissipate our energy and lean resources.
“So far, only a few parties are in compliance. I urge those that have not done so to submit the details by the end of this week.
“Even as we prepare for the Anambra State Governorship election, we are always mindful of our responsibilities for other elections and electoral activities,” he added.
He said 2025 would be the most busiest compared to the previous year, with FCT Council election, resumption of Continuous Voter Registration and bye-elections.
Yakubu said: “In terms of elections and electoral activities, the year 2025 is going to be busier than 2024.
He said: “Overall, the Commission conducted 51 re-run elections, bye-elections and off-cycle elections in 2024. In February, the Commission conducted re-run elections in 39 constituencies combined with nine bye-elections arising from vacancies in the national and State Assemblies nationwide. “We also conducted two Governorship elections, the last one held in November 2024 in Ondo State.
“Furthermore, we had several electoral activities, including the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) ahead of the Edo and Ondo State Governorship elections, the publication of our 2023 General Election Report and the release of the Review Report containing 142 recommendations arising from our in-house and external engagements with stakeholders. “Similarly, we sustained our engagements with stakeholders. During the year, we had a total of 16 regular quarterly consultative meetings with political parties, civil society organisations, the media and security agencies in addition to extraordinary meetings as the need arose.”
He also outlined some of the sad events experienced by the Commission, which include flooding of the state office in Edo.
“Elsewhere, two of our Local Government offices were attacked in incidents unrelated to elections or electoral activities. In Sankara, the headquarters of Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, our office, along with other public buildings and private institutions in the area, was attacked during a local protest against insecurity.
“In Owa Oyibu, the headquarters of Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, our office was destroyed in a fire incident.”
