The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has attributed the delay in concluding the verification and prequalification of associations seeking registration as political parties to constant changes in logos, acronyms, interim leadership, and defections of their leaders.

In a statement, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, revealed that the number of associations seeking registration has now risen to 171.

Olumekun appealed to the groups to exercise patience and avoid practices that slow down the process.

“We urge associations to desist from frequent changes to their logos, acronyms, and addresses, or from submitting multiple requests. Worse still, some associations have altered their interim leadership following defections to other associations or existing political parties, thereby delaying the process,” he said.

INEC disclosed that since its last update, 19 new letters of intent have been received, bringing the total applications to 171 as of September 3, 2025. The Commission is finalizing the shortlist of pre-qualified associations for the next stage of the registration process, with recommendations already prepared for consideration.

Reassuring applicants, INEC promised that all submissions would be treated fairly, while urging consistency from the associations to enable a smooth process.

“As always, the Commission will continue to keep Nigerians informed on all its activities,” the statement added.

Giving an update on the Anambra governorship elections, the Commission said about 2,802,790 eligible voters will decide the fate of the next governor of Anambra State during the November governorship election in the state.

It said 27,817 of those who took part in the voter registration exercise in Anambra state ahead of the election were found to be double or multiple registrations and removed from the list.

The statement reads: “The Commission met today, Thursday, 4th September 2025. Among other issues, the meeting deliberated on the final register of voters for the Anambra State Governorship Election and the status of letters of intent from associations seeking registration as political parties.

“In continuation of preparations for the forthcoming Anambra State Governorship Election, the Commission carried out voter registration in the 326 Wards across the State from 8th to 20th July 2025. During that period, 168,187 citizens registered as new voters.

“At the end of the registration exercise, the Commission earmarked a period of one week (8th to 20th July 2025) to display the list of new registrants in all the Wards for claims and objections by citizens in the spirit of Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2022.

“Furthermore, the Commission scrutinized the list using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to detect invalid registrations. At the end of the process, 27,817 records were found to be double or multiple registrations and removed from the list.

“Consequently, the figure for new registrants now stands at 140,370, while valid applications for transfer into the State are 5,983, making a total of 146,353 new voters.

“Prior to the recent voter registration, Anambra State had 2,656,437 registered voters. With the new registrants, the voter roll for the State now stands at 2,802,790.

“The distribution of the new figures by Local Government Area shows that Idemili North with 246,318 (8.79%) has the highest number of voters, followed by Awka South with 216,611 (7.73%) and Ogbaru with 188,016 (6.71%).

“On the other hand, Dunokofia and Anambra West have 83,580 (2.98%) and 71,332 (2.55%) registered voters, respectively. The distribution of new voters by Local Government Area is uploaded to our website and other official platforms for public information.

“We wish to assure new voters in Anambra State, as well as those who applied for transfer or replacement of their lost or damaged Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), that their cards will be ready for collection well ahead of the Governorship Election holding in the next 63 days on Saturday, 8th November 2025.” (The Nation)