The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of candidates for the 2025 Anambra State governorship election and announced that official campaigns will begin on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Campaigns are expected to end by midnight on Thursday, November 6, 2025.
In a statement on Wednesday, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, confirmed that 16 political parties met the submission deadline of May 12 and will participate in the election scheduled for November 8.
The final candidate list follows the conclusion of the substitution period and the verification of personal information submitted by political parties. Olumekun noted that four political parties which are Accord, African Action Congress (AAC), Labour Party, and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) replaced their deputy governorship candidates. Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) held a fresh primary to select a new governorship candidate before the June 2 deadline.
Under Section 33 of the Electoral Act 2022, political parties may replace candidates who withdraw voluntarily. However, INEC emphasized that no further substitutions will be allowed, except in the event of a candidate’s death, as provided under Section 34(1) of the Act.
The ages of the candidates range from 36 to 71. Of the 16 participating parties, AAC and the National Rescue Movement (NRM) nominated female candidates, while six parties fielded female running mates. These include Accord, All Progressives Congress (APC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Boot Party (BP), Labour Party (LP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). No candidate with a disability was nominated.
However, the full list of candidates including their age, gender, party affiliation, and academic qualifications is now available on INEC’s website and social media platforms.
As campaigns begin, INEC urged political parties and supporters to abide by the rules in the Electoral Act. These include avoiding hate speech, violence, or destruction of campaign materials, and ensuring equal access to public spaces and media for all candidates. The commission also warned against using incumbency to gain electoral advantage, as prohibited under Section 95(2) of the Act.
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