The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially released the definitive roster of candidates set to vie for the Anambra State governorship seat in the election slated for Saturday, November 8, 2025. This publication follows a period of candidate withdrawal and substitution, with four political parties—Accord, African Action Congress, Labour Party, and New Nigeria Peoples Party—making changes to their previously submitted candidate lists by the June 2, 2025 deadline.
Notably, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) conducted a fresh primary to select a new governorship candidate, while the other four parties specifically replaced their deputy governorship candidates. A total of 16 out of the 19 registered political parties are participating in this election. Among them, the African Action Congress (AAC) and the National Rescue Movement (NRM) have put forward female governorship candidates, and six parties—Accord, All Progressives Congress (APC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Boot Party (BP), Labour Party, and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)—are fielding female running mates.
However, INEC pointed out that no party has nominated a person with disability as a candidate for either the governorship or deputy governorship positions. The age range of the candidates is quite broad, spanning from 36 to 71 years. The full particulars of all candidates, including their party affiliation, age, gender, and academic qualifications, have been made accessible to the public on INEC's website and social media channels.
With this final list published, no further alterations to the candidate lineup will be permitted, save for the unfortunate event of a candidate or running mate's death before election day, as stipulated by Section 34(1) of the Electoral Act.
Furthermore, INEC has announced that electioneering campaigns are set to commence publicly on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, and will conclude at midnight on Thursday, November 6, 2025.
The commission also reiterated important guidelines for political parties, candidates, and their supporters, emphasizing the prohibition of abusive language, physical assaults on opponents, destruction of campaign materials, and the use of incumbency to gain an unfair advantage, in accordance with Sections 92, 93, and 95(2) of the Electoral Act 2022. All parties and candidates are guaranteed unimpeded access to public facilities for their campaign activities, including media engagements, outdoor advertising, rallies, and meetings.
