Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, May Agbamuche-Mbu, on Tuesday held a consultative meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja, marking her first such engagement since assuming office on October 7.
The quarterly meeting, the third for the year following earlier sessions held on January 22 and June 26, comes amid intensified preparations for the Anambra State Governorship Election scheduled for November 8, 2025.
In her opening remarks, Agbamuche-Mbu expressed appreciation for the contributions of her predecessor, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, commending him for building “a legacy of innovation, institutional strength and integrity” at the Commission.
She provided a comprehensive update on INEC’s recent and upcoming electoral activities. “At the last quarterly meeting, the Commission announced a number of elections and electoral activities; these are the bye-elections in 12 States of the Federation on 16th August 2025, the Anambra State Governorship Election on 8th November 2025, the Area Council Elections in the FCT on 21st February 2026, the Ekiti Governorship Election on 20th June 2026 and the Osun State Governorship Election on 8th August 2026,” she said.
According to her, the bye-elections held on August 16 across two senatorial districts, five federal constituencies, and nine state assembly constituencies, alongside court-ordered re-run elections in Enugu and Kano. She noted that winners had been declared and issued certificates of return in accordance with the Electoral Act 2022.
“The Commission has released the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the other elections and some of the activities have already been carried out, the latest being the commencement of campaign by Political Parties in Anambra State and the FCT and the publication of the Notices of Election for the Ekiti State Governorship Election on 25th June, 2025 and that of Osun State Governorship Election on 13th August, 2025,” she added.
Speaking on the Anambra governorship poll, Agbamuche-Mbu stated that 13 key activities were listed in the election timetable, of which 10 have already been completed. These include the publication of the Notice of Poll on October 25 and the final day for campaigns set for November 6, ahead of the election day on November 8.
She reaffirmed INEC’s readiness and adherence to the electoral schedule. “Political Parties are therefore called upon to be mindful of the last day for campaigns and keep strictly to it,” she warned.
She disclosed that all non-sensitive materials for the election have already been delivered to Anambra State and that voter education and sensitisation efforts are ongoing. “The Commission has been working assiduously and making arrangements for the successful conduct of the Anambra State Governorship Election and have had several engagements with the Security Agencies at National, State and Local Government levels,” she said.
Regarding the 2026 FCT Area Council Elections, Agbamuche-Mbu explained that the polls will cover 68 constituencies, including six council chairmanships and 62 wards—10 per council, except for AMAC, which has 12 due to its larger population.
She also revealed that INEC has received 171 applications for registration of new political parties. “Each request was assessed on the basis of its compliance with the provisions of section 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), section 79 (1, 2 and 4) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and Clause 2 of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022,” she stated.
“Out of the total number of applications received, 14 Associations have met the requirements to proceed to the next stage,” she added, noting that the details have been published on the Commission’s website.
