Anambra, Nigeria — The Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Anambra State, Dr. Elizabeth Agwu, has announced that the Continuous Voter Registration exercise in the state will commence on July 8, ahead of the governorship election slated for November 8, 2025.
Agwu made this known during a press briefing at the state INEC office in Awka on Thursday, adding that the CVR exercise is strictly for the upcoming governorship election and not for the by-elections for the Senate and House of Assembly.
She also outlined INEC’s programme of activities for the year, including the conduct of the governorship election, senatorial bye-election, House of Assembly election, and the voter registration exercise.
According to her, the CVR for the governorship election will begin on July 8 and end on July 17, 2025. It will run daily (including Saturdays) from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm, excluding Mondays.
She said, “We urge eligible voters in Anambra State, including residents, to come out in large numbers to either register afresh or make necessary corrections to their biodata.
“Fresh registration must be done physically at designated INEC offices, while data revalidation or corrections can be done online. INEC will not register any person in absentia.
“Registrations outside the approved hours will not be accepted, as the registration portal will automatically close at 3:00 p.m. each day.”
The REC disclosed that training for ad hoc electoral committees will take place on Friday and Saturday as part of INEC’s preparation strategy for the governorship election.
She appealed to the people of Anambra to take the opportunity seriously and urged them to register and vote in the upcoming election so they can play their part in choosing who governs them.
According to her, after the registration period, INEC will publish the provisional register of voters for public inspection and correction, where necessary.
On the bye-election scheduled for August 16, 2025, she clarified that voters will use their existing Permanent Voter Cards and not those from the current CVR.
She added that a separate nationwide CVR will commence immediately after the bye-election to prepare for the 2027 general elections.
“We will begin a new round of Continuous Voter Registration after the bye-election. That will be the national CVR in preparation for the national elections. INEC has configured 300 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) scanners for the November election and has finalised arrangements with the National Youth Service Corps for the deployment of corps members as ad hoc staff.
“Residents are warned against any attempt to pay for voter registration or to register by proxy, as such actions are illegal and ineffective.
“INEC is not collecting money from anyone. Please do not pay anyone to be registered, and do not attempt to register for someone else,” she added.
On the early announcement of the governorship election date, she explained that INEC is mandated by law to issue a 360-day notice before the election.
According to her, 16 political parties have fielded candidates for the November 8 governorship election. She added that INEC had serviced its vehicles and reached agreements with registered transport unions in the state to ensure the smooth transportation of election materials.
She said, “We have already conducted sensitisation programmes for stakeholders in Anambra State as required by the Electoral Act.
“INEC has Memoranda of Understanding with transport unions across the country. They will provide logistics, and we will pay them.
“We want this election to be better than the last. I’ve personally verified all our BVAS machines to ensure they are fully functional.”
The REC also announced that all non-sensitive election materials had arrived, while sensitive materials are expected soon.
“Campaigning is not fighting. It’s about communicating your plans and achievements to the people. Thuggery is a criminal offence and will not be tolerated by INEC or security agencies.
“INEC has written to the state government requesting that public facilities be made available to all political parties for their campaign activities, in line with democratic principles,” she added.
Margret Oshinowo | July 3, 2025
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