By Tony Ezike
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced a three-day extension of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in Anambra State. Initially scheduled to end on Thursday, July 17, the exercise will now continue through Sunday, July 20, 2025.
The decision followed the Commission’s weekly meeting held earlier at its headquarters in Abuja and comes in response to appeals by citizens and stakeholders calling for additional time to complete their registration.
According to a statement issued by Sam Olumekun, mni, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, the Commission expressed satisfaction with the turnout of registrants and the peaceful atmosphere across all 326 registration centres in the state.
“As of Wednesday, July 16, 2025, a total of 96,085 new voters had successfully registered within nine days, averaging over 10,600 registrations per day,” Olumekun revealed.
The Commission also reported 12,595 requests for intra- and inter-state voter transfers, along with 7,061 applications for updates or replacement of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) due to loss or damage.
Preliminary figures show women and youth leading participation in the registration exercise. Of the 96,085 newly registered voters, 56,017 (58%) are female, while 50,429 (52.48%) fall within the 18–34 age bracket.
INEC noted that after the close of registration, a preliminary register will be displayed for claims and objections in line with the Electoral Act. This will be followed by a comprehensive data clean-up using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), with a final breakdown of registrants by age, gender, occupation, and disability to be published thereafter.
In a related development, the Commission provided an update on political party registration, disclosing that it has received five new letters of intent from associations seeking recognition as political parties, bringing the total number of applications to 134.
Details such as proposed names, acronyms, logos, addresses, and interim leadership structures of the applicants have been made available on INEC’s website and social media platforms for public scrutiny.
Reiterating its commitment to openness and inclusivity, the Commission assured Nigerians of continued updates on all electoral activities in the build-up to the Anambra Governorship Election.
