INEC fixes date for Anambra governorship election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Nigeria has approved that the 2025 Anambra State Governorship election will hold on Saturday, 8th November, 2025.

A circular made available to Diaspora Digital Media on Thursday, indicated that “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 Anambra State on Saturday 8th November 2025.

Why the Anambra governorship election holds in an off-season

The Anambra governorship election is held in an off-season due to the constitutional requirement that the election must be conducted not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days to the expiration of the incumbent governor’s tenure.

This means that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must schedule the election within this timeframe to ensure a smooth transition of power.

In the case of the 2021 Anambra State gubernatorial election, it took place on November 6, 2021, to elect a new governor as the incumbent APGA Governor Willie Obiano was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term.

The election was initially scheduled for November 6, but due to some irregularities and insecurity, the election in Ihiala LGA was cancelled and rescheduled for November 9.

It’s worth noting that the timing of the election is also influenced by other factors, such as court rulings and disputes over primary elections, which can sometimes lead to changes in the election schedule.

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