The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the schedule for crucial electoral activities, including bye-elections in 12 states and the commencement of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Anambra State and across the country.

This was disclosed by INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, during a consultative meeting with leaders of registered political parties held on Wednesday in Abuja, marking Day 2 of the Commission’s engagements with key stakeholders.

According to Prof. Yakubu, the bye-elections are set to take place on Saturday, August 16, 2025, across 16 constituencies in 12 states, involving 3,553,659 registered voters. The elections will be conducted in 32 Local Government Areas (LGAs), 356 Wards, and 6,987 Polling Units, with a deployment of 30,451 election officials.

However, INEC clarified that bye-elections will not hold in Khana II State Constituency (Rivers State) due to a subsisting state of emergency, and in Talata Mafara South State Constituency (Zamfara State) owing to an unresolved legal dispute over the declared vacancy.

The Commission outlined a tight timeline for the conduct of the elections:

• Party primaries: July 17–21, 2025
• Submission of nomination forms: July 22 (9:00 a.m.) to July 26 (6:00 p.m.) via INEC’s portal
• Public campaigns: August 2–14, 2025

On voter registration, Prof. Yakubu announced that CVR will resume at two levels — state-specific and nationwide.

In Anambra State, ahead of the November 2025 Governorship election, voter registration will run from July 8 to 17, 2025, daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., including weekends, across all 326 Wards. The exercise will accommodate new registrants, transfers, and PVC replacements. Previously registered voters can also collect their PVCs at registration centres.

At the national level, online pre-registration will resume on August 18, 2025, while in-person registration will begin on August 25, 2025, at INEC’s 37 State/FCT offices and 774 LGA offices nationwide.

Representing political parties at the meeting, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, reaffirmed IPAC’s commitment to upholding electoral integrity and deepening democratic governance.

“IPAC is unwavering in its commitment to fostering electoral integrity, political stability and inspiring trust in electoral governance,” Dantalle stated.

He urged all stakeholders to safeguard the sanctity of the ballot and hold elected officials accountable. Dantalle also encouraged INEC to leverage technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), in the upcoming Anambra election to enhance transparency, mitigate risks, and improve voter engagement.

He commended both INEC and the Federal Government for ongoing infrastructure developments, including the construction of a new headquarters annex for the Commission, which he described as a boost to operational efficiency.

The meeting was attended by INEC National Commissioners, the Commission Secretary, aides to the INEC Chairman, and departmental directors.

INEC is expected to continue its stakeholder consultations in preparation for upcoming electoral events, as Nigeria strengthens its democratic institutions ahead of future polls.