Anambra 2025: INEC Urges Political Parties to Stick to Primaries Schedule

Anambra 2025: INEC Urges Political Parties to Stick to Primaries Schedule

By JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a stern warning to political parties regarding any abrupt changes to their scheduled primaries for the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State, slated for November 8, 2025.

This urgent advisory was communicated following the Commission’s regular weekly meeting held on March 6, 2025.

In a statement signed yesterday, by Sam Olumekun, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, the Commission emphasized the importance of adhering to the timelines set for the electoral process.

“We urge Political Parties to adhere strictly to their proposed schedules. 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,” Olumekun said.

The Commission reflected on the meticulous planning ahead of the election, highlighting that a Notice of Election was published on November 13, 2024, in line with Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, marking over 360 days of preparation.

The Commission has announced that the conduct of primaries for the nomination of candidates will begin on March 20 and conclude on April 10, 2025.

The statement partly read:

“By the provision of the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election, the conduct of primaries for nomination of candidates by Political Parties commences in the next two weeks i.e. 20th March 2025 and ends on 10th April 2025.

“So far, 12 out of the 19 registered Political Parties in the country have submitted the detailed schedules of their primaries. As agreed at our last consultative meeting with Political Parties held in January, doing so early will enable the Commission to plan for the effective monitoring of the primaries in line with the provision 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.”

As the Election Day approaches, INEC is committed to ensuring that all necessary measures are in place for a credible and efficient election in Anambra, urging all political stakeholders to collaborate effectively in this essential democratic exercise.