GUSAU — An aspirant for the Zamfara North Senatorial District seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections, Sani Shinkafi, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of disregarding a Federal High Court judgment over the party’s senatorial primary.
Shinkafi, in a statement issued on Saturday, alleged that INEC breached the court’s directive by publishing the name of Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u as the APC’s candidate for the Zamfara North Senatorial District.
According to him, the publication contradicts a judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Gusau, which reportedly nullified the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 19, 2026, and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary election.
Shinkafi said the court further directed INEC to accept and publish the name of the aspirant who emerges from the fresh primary.
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He therefore called on the electoral commission to withdraw Ya’u’s name, arguing that publishing a candidate before the fresh primary is conducted—or while the judgment remains subject to the appellate process—could undermine the judicial process.
The case, identified as Suit No. FHC/GS/CS/6/2026, was reportedly presided over by Justice Hassan Dikko.
Shinkafi said the court found that due process was not followed in the conduct of the May 19 primary and subsequently set aside the exercise.
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He added that the court directed the APC to conduct a fresh primary election for all cleared aspirants within 14 days of the judgment delivered on August 31, 2026.
The court also reportedly directed the defendants, including the APC, INEC and Ya’u, to comply with the party’s constitution, its electoral guidelines and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
Shinkafi maintained that INEC had been served with a certified true copy of the judgment and was therefore expected to comply with the orders.
“Disobeying a court order in a matter to which the commission was a party and fully represented will erode public confidence in the electoral system,” he said.
The APC chieftain further warned that publishing a candidate while the court order remained in force could, in his view, weaken public confidence in the judiciary and the rule of law.
In a related development, YAS Law Firm, counsel to Shinkafi, reportedly wrote to the INEC Chairman in a letter dated September 18, 2026, demanding the withdrawal of Ya’u’s name.
The lawyers argued that the Federal High Court judgment established that no valid candidate emerged from the May 19 primary because of alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act and APC guidelines.
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They further contended that the matter remained within the judicial process and urged INEC to suspend the publication pending the conduct of the fresh primary ordered by the court or the final determination of any appeal.
According to the lawyers, the court also issued an order restraining the defendants, their agents and privies from further breaches of the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions.
They cited the court’s directive requiring INEC to accept and publish the name of any candidate who validly emerges from the fresh primary.
Shinkafi also referred to previous cases in which the Supreme Court nullified party primaries and made consequential orders affecting the validity of candidates and election outcomes.
The development comes amid ongoing legal and political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the final status of the APC’s Zamfara North senatorial ticket potentially dependent on further judicial proceedings and the outcome of any fresh primary ordered by the court.
