, Dr Sani Shinkafi, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately withdraw Sen. Sahabi Ya’u’s name as the party’s candidate for Zamfara North Senatorial District.){kind=link}
By Emmanuel Oloniruha
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Sani Shinkafi, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately withdraw Sen. Sahabi Ya’u’s name as the party’s candidate for Zamfara North Senatorial District.
Shinkafi, who was an aspirant for the Zamfara North Senatorial District, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the call followed the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division, delivered on Oct 20, by Justice Abubakar M. Talba.
He noted that the appellate court dismissed Appeal No. CA/S/239/2026, filed by Senator Ya’u, describing it as grossly unmeritorious, and affirmed the ruling of the Federal High Court, Gusau, in Suit No. FHC/GS/CS/6/2026.
He recalled that the Federal High Court, Gusau, presided over by Justice Hassan Dikko on Aug 31, had nullified the purported APC Zamfara North primary election held on May 19, for non-compliance with the Electoral Act and party guidelines.
He noted that the court subsequently ordered the APC to conduct a fresh primary election for all cleared aspirants in the district.
Shinkarfi expressed concern over the continued inclusion of Ya’u’s name on the list of candidates in INEC list.
He questioned INEC’s stance, noting that the commission was a party to the suit and was officially served with certified true copies of both judgments.
“It is curious that the Independent National Electoral Commission continues to parade Sen. Ya’u as the APC Zamfara North Senatorial candidate in defiance of the Court of Appeal judgment and the Federal High Court Gusau judgment,’’ he said.
Shinkjarfi said that publishing Ya’u’s name in the face of courts of competent jurisdiction undermines the Judiciary as the temple of justice.
He warned against anti-democratic forces whose agenda, according to him, could lead to the APC losing the candidate slot for the district in the 2027 general elections.
He cited previous elections where Supreme Court rulings nullified primary elections and awarded victories to rival political parties.
Shinkafi disclosed that through his legal counsel, S.Y. Aliyu Esq. of Yas Law Firm, a formal petition dated Oct. 27 was submitted to the INEC Chairman in Abuja.
The lawyer in the letter urged INEC to immediately stay and withdraw the publication of Sen. Ya’u as the candidate pending either a fresh primary election or the final exhaustion and determination of appellate proceedings at the Supreme Court.
Shinkafi reaffirmed his commitment to democratic ideals, stating that he remained dedicated to deepening representative governance and protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral framework.