The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) continued its series of regular consultative meetings with key stakeholders on Day 2 of engagements, with leaders of registered political parties across the country.

In his opening remarks, the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, provided a comprehensive update on upcoming electoral activities, including the scheduling of bye-elections, the resumption of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), and preparations for the Anambra State Governorship election.

Prof. Yakubu announced that INEC has fixed Saturday, August 16, 2025, for the conduct of bye-elections in 16 constituencies across 12 states of the federation. The elections will involve 3,553,659 registered voters across 32 Local Government Areas, 356 Wards, and 6,987 Polling Units. The Commission plans to deploy 30,451 election officials for the exercise.

However, the Commission stated that bye-elections will not hold in Khana II State Constituency in Rivers State, due to the ongoing state of emergency, and in Talata Mafara South State Constituency in Zamfara State, owing to a legal dispute regarding the declared vacancy by the State Assembly.

Prof. Yakubu emphasized the tight timeline for conducting the bye-elections, noting that party primaries are to be held from July 17 to 21, 2025, while submission of nomination forms via the INEC portal will begin at 9:00 a.m. on July 22 and close at 6:00 p.m. on July 26. Public campaigns are scheduled to run from August 2 to August 14, 2025.

The INEC Chairman also revealed that the Commission has approved the resumption of CVR at two levels: state-specific and nationwide.

In Anambra State, ahead of the forthcoming governorship election, CVR will take place in all 326 Wards from July 8 to 17, 2025, running daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., including weekends. This window will allow new voters, those transferring registration, or seeking replacement of lost or damaged PVCs to update their status. PVCs from previous exercises will also be available for collection at registration centres.

On a national scale, online pre-registration will resume on August 18, 2025, followed by in-person registration on August 25, 2025, across INEC’s 37 State and FCT offices and 774 Local Government Area offices nationwide.

Speaking at the meeting, Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), reaffirmed the council’s dedication to promoting electoral integrity and democratic governance.

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

He urged stakeholders to uphold the sanctity of the ballot and hold elected officials accountable as a means of strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.

Dantalle highlighted the upcoming Anambra Governorship election as an opportunity for INEC to demonstrate technological advancement in election administration, particularly with the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in electoral governance to enhance transparency, reduce risks, and improve voter engagement.

He also commended INEC and the Federal Government for the ongoing construction of the new headquarters annex of the Commission, describing it as a significant step toward improving INEC’s operational efficiency.

The meeting was attended by National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, aides to the INEC Chairman, and Directors from various departments within the Commission.