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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday held its third quarterly consultative meeting with political party leaders in Abuja, where updates were given on upcoming elections, continuous voter registration, and new party applications.
The meeting was the first to be chaired by INEC’s Acting Chairman, May Agbamuche-Mbu, following the exit of former Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, on October 7, 2025.
In her remarks, Agbamuche-Mbu commended the former chairman for what she described as “a legacy of innovation, institutional strength, and integrity,” noting that his leadership strengthened Nigeria’s electoral process.
She outlined the commission’s upcoming election schedule, which includes the Anambra State Governorship Election on November 8, 2025, the Federal Capital Territory Area Council Elections on February 21, 2026, the Ekiti Governorship Election on June 20, 2026, and the Osun Governorship Election on August 8, 2026.
Speaking on preparations for the Anambra poll, Agbamuche-Mbu said that INEC had completed 10 of the 13 key activities in its election timetable. She explained that the remaining milestones include the publication of the notice of poll on October 25, end of campaign period on November 6, and the election proper on November 8.
She said, “The commission has been working assiduously and making arrangements for the successful conduct of the Anambra State governorship election and has had several engagements with the security agencies at national, state, and local government levels. All non-sensitive materials for the election have been delivered to the state, and voter education and sensitisation are ongoing.”
Agbamuche-Mbu also presented a report on the by-elections held on August 16 across 12 states, which covered two senatorial districts, five federal constituencies, nine state assembly constituencies, and two court-ordered rerun elections in Enugu and Kano States. She confirmed that “declarations and returns were made, and Certificates of Return have been presented in compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.”
On voter registration, she stated that the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which resumed nationwide in August, will continue until August 30, 2026. She described citizens’ response as “encouraging” and assured that weekly registration updates are available on the commission’s website.
Addressing the issue of new political parties, the acting chairman disclosed that INEC received 171 requests for party registration but that only 14 associations met the constitutional and electoral requirements to move to the next stage of evaluation.
Responding to the updates, Dr. Yusuf Dantalle, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), congratulated Agbamuche-Mbu on her appointment, saying that her service record and experience would strengthen the commission’s work at a critical time in Nigeria’s democracy.
Dantalle revealed that IPAC had submitted a set of electoral reform proposals to the National Assembly. These include the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), the transfer of local government elections to INEC, the reservation of special seats for women, the restoration of public funding for political parties, and the removal of presidential powers to appoint INEC leadership.
He also described the upcoming Anambra governorship election as a “litmus test” for the new leadership, saying, “INEC should get its act together and get it right. With new leadership, citizens’ expectations are high. The commission must justify the confidence reposed in it to rebuild trust in the electoral process.”
Dantalle reaffirmed IPAC’s readiness to collaborate with INEC to promote credible elections, adding, “We are all in it together to build a better, greater, inclusive, prosperous, and just democratic society.”
Yakubu, who was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2015 and reappointed in November 2020, resigned earlier this month. President Bola Tinubu accepted his resignation and honoured him with the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) national award.
The National Council of State has since approved Tinubu’s nomination of Professor Joash Amupitan as the new INEC Chairman, pending Senate confirmation. Until his confirmation, Agbamuche-Mbu will continue to oversee the affairs of the commission.
INEC has confirmed that 2.8 million registered voters are eligible to participate in the November 8 Anambra election. The commission has released the final list of candidates and confirmed that 16 political parties met the submission deadline of May 12 to field candidates.
