Anambra State has seen a remarkable surge in voter registration as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reports 168,187 new voters ahead of the November 2025 governorship election. The two-week period of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise has set a new record, marking the highest number of registrants since the CVR’s inception in 2017.
According to Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, the gender breakdown reveals that women make up 58 percent of the new voters, with 97,832 female registrants, compared to 70,355 men, constituting 42 percent. Youths, particularly those aged 18 to 34, account for more than half of the new voters, with 90,763 registrants, representing 53.97 percent of the total.
In a statement released on Thursday, Olumekun highlighted that the CVR exercise had also seen notable participation from individuals with disabilities, with 303 persons with physical impairments and 207 people with albinism joining the electoral roll.
“This is a significant step towards ensuring more inclusive participation in the democratic process,” Olumekun said. “These are preliminary figures pending data clean-up, and the detailed breakdown has been uploaded to INEC’s website for public access.”
The CVR deadline was extended by three days, from July 17 to July 20, after public appeals for more time. INEC has announced that the next phase of the voter registration process will involve the display of the preliminary register for claims and objections. This will take place across 326 wards in Anambra, from July 26 to August 1.
Following the display period and the completion of the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) verification, new registrants will be incorporated into the existing register, which will be published on a polling unit basis. INEC has assured citizens that their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will be available for collection ahead of the election.
With just 105 days to go until the election, Olumekun reassured voters that the commission is working tirelessly to ensure that all PVCs will be ready for distribution in time.
“As we move closer to the election date, we remain committed to providing voters with the tools and resources they need to participate in the democratic process,” he concluded.
