A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u’s name as the party’s candidate for Zamfara North Senatorial District following a Court of Appeal ruling nullifying the party’s primary election.
Shinkafi, who is also an aspirant for the senatorial seat, accused INEC of disregarding subsisting court orders by continuing to list Ya’u as the APC candidate for the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued to newsmen, Shinkafi said the commission, having been a party to the legal proceedings and served with the judgements, should comply with the courts’ directives.
“Publishing Ya’u’s name in the face of judgements of courts of competent jurisdiction undermines the judiciary as the temple of justice,” he said.
The dispute follows two court decisions concerning the APC primary election in Zamfara North.
On 31 August 2026, Justice Hassan Dikko of the Federal High Court in Gusau nullified the APC primary held on 19 May 2026, citing alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act and the party’s guidelines. The court ruled that there was no valid candidate from the exercise.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Ya’u approached the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division. However, on 20 October 2026, the appellate court, presided over by Justice Abubakar M. Talba, dismissed his appeal, marked CA/S/239/2026, as “grossly unmeritorious” and affirmed the Federal High Court’s judgement.
The Court of Appeal also ordered the APC to conduct a fresh primary involving all cleared aspirants for the Zamfara North Senatorial District seat. INEC was joined as a party in the case.
Shinkafi described it as “curious and inconceivable” that the commission had continued to publish Ya’u’s name despite the two court rulings.
“As a democratic institution, INEC has the opportunity to redeem its image, obey the clear judgement of the Court of Appeal, rebuild public trust and uphold electoral integrity essential for sustainable democracy,” he said.
The APC chieftain further alleged that retaining Ya’u’s name was part of a wider plan to prevent the party from fielding a candidate in Zamfara North, as he claimed had happened in previous elections in the state.
He recalled that in 2019, the Supreme Court nullified APC primaries in Zamfara State, resulting in the party losing victories, including the governorship, to its opponents.
“The agenda of anti-democratic forces is to repeat that scenario,” Shinkafi alleged, adding, “Let it be clear, this injustice shall not stand.”
He said he remained committed to strengthening representative governance in Nigeria and had instructed his lawyers to write to the INEC chairman over the matter.
According to Shinkafi, the letter had been submitted to and acknowledged by the commission.
In the letter dated 27 October 2026 and signed by S.Y. Aliyu of Yas Law Firm, the lawyers reminded INEC of the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal judgements, including the directive for the party to conduct a fresh primary.
They urged the commission to “immediately withdraw and stay the publication” of Ya’u’s name pending the fresh primary or the final determination of the matter by the Supreme Court.
The lawyers argued that publishing a candidate’s name before the court-ordered primary would undermine the judiciary and violate established electoral principles.
They also attached copies of the Court of Appeal judgement and INEC’s current publication listing Ya’u as the APC candidate for Zamfara North.
As of the time of filing this report, INEC had not responded to the demand.
The commission is expected to publish the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections in the coming weeks.
