By Joy Odor
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has concluded the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in Anambra State ahead of the off-cycle governorship election, recording 168,187 new voters, the highest in two-week period since CVR was introduced ahead of the 2017 election.
According to Sam Olumekun, the
National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee in a press statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, informed that the update was provided following INEC’s weekly meeting held on Thursday, where the Commission reviewed the final report on the CVR and received a presentation from its ICT department on the newly developed party registration portal.
He mentioned that initially scheduled to end on 17th July 2025, the CVR was extended to 29th July following appeals from citizens.
Olumekun said according to the preliminary data, 58% of registrants (97,832) are female, while 42% (70,355) are male. Young people aged 18–34 make up 53.97% (90,763) of the new registrants.
He maintained that in terms of occupational distribution, businessmen and women accounted for 36.92% (62,157) of registrants, followed by students at 26.31% (44,243).
Additionally, Olumekun pointed out that 510 persons with disabilities (PWDs) registered, with the most common forms of disability being physical impairment (24.92%) and albinism (17.02%).
He said the Commission has uploaded a detailed demographic breakdown of the data to its website and social platforms for public access.
Olumekun affirmed that the next step is the display of the preliminary voter register for public scrutiny and objections, set to take place from Saturday, 26th July to Friday, 1st August 2025 in all 326 wards across Anambra State.
“Once this process is concluded and data is cleaned using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), the new voters will be merged with the existing register and published on a Polling Unit basis’.
The Commission also confirmed that details regarding the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) including those for transfers, replacements, and new registrants will be announced soon.
INEC reaffirmed that all new voters will receive their PVCs ahead of the governorship election, which is now just 105 days away.
INEC also shared updates on its political party registration process.
“A new in-house developed party registration portal has now been approved for deployment after undergoing final testing.
“The Commission has so far received 144 letters of intent from associations seeking registration as political parties, with 10 new applications received in the last week.
“Each applicant’s name, acronym, logo, office address, and interim leadership details are now published on INEC’s website.
“A comprehensive report on the vetting of these applications will be presented at the Commission’s next meeting, where associations meeting the constitutional and legal requirements will be allowed to proceed to the application stage.
INEC therefore reiterated its commitment to keeping Nigerians informed about its electoral preparations and activities.
