Ahead of the Continuous Voter Registration for the Anambra State governorship election, 31,690 Permanent Voter Cards have yet to be collected, The PUNCH gathered on Thursday.

The figure is based on the data released by the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2023, which also recorded 2,624,764 collected PVCs in the state.

The CVR is a routine electoral activity that allows eligible Nigerians who have not yet registered to do so and also enables previously registered voters to update their information or transfer their registration, if necessary.

It is expected to result in a notable increase in the number of registered voters in the state, which currently stands at 2,656,437.

INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, recently confirmed that the commission was finalising preparations for the CVR, in anticipation of the Anambra State governorship election, scheduled for November 8, 2025.

Yakubu stressed the urgency of starting the registration process and assured the public that more details would be released soon.

He said, “We are aware of the urgency to commence the CVR, particularly given the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State.

“We want to assure Nigerians that we are finalising our preparations for both activities, the details of which will soon be made public.”

With thousands of PVCs still uncollected and more citizens expected to register during the CVR, the total voting population may rise significantly before election day.

On Wednesday, INEC released the final list of candidates for the election and announced the official commencement of election campaigns.

According to a statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, this followed the completion of substitutions of candidates and verification of personal information submitted by political parties.

Sixteen political parties successfully met the submission deadline of May 12, 2025, and will participate in the election scheduled for November 8.