The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in Anambra State by an additional three days, following what it described as impressive turnout and public appeals.
Originally scheduled to end on Thursday, July 17, the registration will now continue until Sunday, July 20, 2025. The decision was taken at INEC’s regular weekly meeting held on Thursday in Abuja, as part of its preparation for the upcoming off-cycle governorship election in the state.
INEC disclosed that, as of Wednesday, July 16, a total of 96,085 new voters had successfully registered within a span of nine days. This translates to an average of over 10,600 new registrants per day across all 326 registration centres in the state.
In addition to new registrations, the Commission reported that 12,595 voters applied for the transfer of their registration, both within and outside Anambra, while 7,061 individuals sought to update their records or replace lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, stated that the extension was in direct response to citizens’ requests to allow more eligible voters to participate in the process.
“After the conclusion of the CVR, the Commission will display the preliminary register for claims and objections, in line with the provisions of the law,” Olumekun noted. “A further cleanup of the data will then be carried out using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).”
A demographic breakdown of the registrants shows that 58% (56,017) are female, and over 52% (50,429) fall within the youth age bracket of 18 to 34 years, a trend that highlights growing political interest among young people.
INEC also said that detailed statistics covering age, gender, occupation, and disability status will be released once data verification is complete.
The Anambra governorship election is one of several off-cycle polls INEC is preparing for, as the Commission continues efforts to deepen electoral participation and transparency in Nigeria.
