Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the resumption of voter registration and the schedule for several outstanding bye-elections. The announcement was made by INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu at a meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja.
“The Commission has approved the resumption of the online and in-person registration of voters in all the States of the Federation,” Professor Yakubu stated regarding the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). He detailed that “the online pre-registration will start on 18th August 2025 while the in-person registration will follow on 25th August 2025.”
Turning to the outstanding polls, the INEC Chairman announced, “Commission has fixed Saturday 16th August 2025 for bye-elections in 16 constituencies across 12 States of the country.” These include vacancies in both the National and State Assemblies.
Ahead of the governorship election in Anambra State, the INEC Chairman highlighted a specific registration exercise in the state, saying, “the CVR in Anambra State will commence in the 326 Wards across the State on 8th July 2025 and end on 17th July 2025.”
He also provided updates on other electoral activities. He noted the ongoing primaries for the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Regarding the Anambra governorship election in November, he reminded attendees that the campaign period was underway. Furthermore, he addressed the registration of new political parties, stating, “As at Monday, 23rd June 2025, the Commission has received letters of intent from 110 associations that wish to register as political parties. We are diligently processing the requests in line with the procedure outlined in the law as well as our Regulations and Guidelines.”
Speaking at the same meeting, the Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yusuf Dantalle, called for the rebuilding of trust in the electoral governance. While acknowledging improvements in recent elections, he noted the low voter turnout, indicating a lack of confidence in the electoral process. He urged political parties to conduct transparent primaries for the upcoming FCT Area Council elections and to focus on issue-based campaigns for the Anambra governorship poll. Yusuf Dantalle also encouraged INEC to leverage new technologies to enhance the credibility and integrity of elections, particularly for the upcoming polls and the 2027 general election. He emphasised the importance of ensuring free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive elections to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
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