2025 Anambra Guber: Party primaries for nomination of candidates begin March 20- INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said party primaries for the nomination of candidates for the Anambra State Governorship election begins in March 20th, 2025.
Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Wednesday at the first regular consultative meeting with political parties held at the INEC Conference Room in Abuja.
Yakubu explained that only few political parties have forwarded their schedule of activities to the Commission, urging parties yet to submit to comply in order to enable INEC plan better for the deployment personnel and resources for the monitoring of primaries and campaign.
He added that the Commission had approved February Saturday 21st 2026 for the Area Council election in FCT, saying voting would take place in all the designated polling units across the 68 constituencies to elect the six Area Council Chairmen and 62 Councilors.
Yakubu added ” In terms of elections and electoral activities, the year 2025 is going to be busier than 2024. 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.
” The last Area Council election in the FCT was held on 12 February 2022. By the effluxion of time, the tenure of the current Chairmen and Councillors ends next year. Consequently, the Commission has approved that the 2026 Area Council election in FCT will hold on Saturday 21st February 2026. Voting will take place in all the designated Polling Units across the 68 constituencies to elect the six Area Council Chairmen and 62 Councilors.
“In compliance with the mandatory legal requirements, the notice for the election will be published next month i.e. 26th February 2025. Party primaries will be held from 9th – 30th June 2025. The candidate nomination portal will open from 9.00am on 21st July 2025 to 6.00pm on 11th August 2025. The final list of candidates will be published on 22nd September 2025. Campaign in public by political parties will commence on 24th September 2025 and end at midnight of Thursday 19th February 2026.
“The detailed Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election as well as the list of constituencies and type of elections in the FCT will be uploaded to our website before the end of this meeting”.