The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has issued a four-day ultimatum to all registered political parties to furnish the commission with details of their schedule of activities for the conduct of Anambra State governorship election primaries.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, gave the deadline at the first regular consultative meeting between INEC and the leaders of political parties held in Abuja on Wednesday – today, January 22.
Giving an update on the timetable and schedule of activities for the Anambra poll scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 2025, released last year, the commission lamented that only a few political parties have so far complied with notification of dates for their primaries.
“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,” he warned.
In a similar development, Yakubu noted that in line with the statutory requirements to issue notice for elections not later than 360 days before the date of the election, the commission has approved that the 2026 Area Council election in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
He said: “Even as we prepare for the Anambra State governorship election, we are always mindful of our responsibilities for other elections and electoral activities. For instance, Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 requires the commission to issue the notice for elections not later than 360 days before the date of the election.”
“This applies to the general as well as off-cycle elections. As you are aware, the commission is responsible for the Area Council election in the FCT, the only part of the country where INEC conducts local government elections.
“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 be held 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. Campaigns in public by political parties will commence on 24th September 2025 and end at midnight of Thursday 19th February 2026,” he said.
