Follow Us on Google
Says party may not have candidate
_______________________________________________________________________
From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The battle for the seat of Zamfara North Senatorial District has continued to rage ahead of the 2027 polls, as an aspirant, Sani Shinkafi, has protested the inclusion of Senator Sahabi Ya’u’s name as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), against a verdict of the Court of Appeal in Sokoto State.
Justice Abubakar M. Talba dismissed Appeal No. CA/S/239/2026, filed by Ya’u, as grossly unmeritorious and upheld the judgement of the Federal High Court, Gusau, Zamfara State, in Suit No. FHC/GS/CS/6/2026, which nullified the purported APC Zamfara North Senatorial District primary of August 31, 2026.
Shinkafi, through his legal counsel, S.Y. Aliyu of Yas Law Firm, yesterday questioned the rationale for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to still include the senator’s name as the APC candidate.
He argued that the inclusion of Ya’u’s name would work against the party, as it did in previous elections.
He said it was curious that INEC “continues to parade Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u as the APC Zamfara North Senatorial candidate in defiant to the Court of Appeal judgement and the Federal High Court Gusau judgement that nullified the purported APC primary election and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary for all cleared aspirants.”
He added that INEC was not only a party to the matter but had also been duly served the certified true copies of the appellate court and High Court judgements.
Other News
According to him, the integrity of the electoral umpire is at stake, adding that the publication of Ya’u’s name in the face of courts of competent jurisdiction undermines the judiciary as the temple of justice and the last hope of all aggrieved citizens.
“As a democratic institution, it is inconceivable that INEC will glaringly violates electoral jurisprudence at this critical 2027 general election process.
“The commission 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 and development in Nigeria.
“The agenda of anti-democratic forces is to ensure that APC will not field a candidate for Zamfara North Senatorial District as obtainable in the previous general elections the Supreme Court nullified the party primaries and awarded its victories to the party that came second including governorship elections.
“Let it be clear, this injustice shall not stand. As a democrat, loyal party member and patriotic citizen, I will contribute in deepening, strengthening and consolidating representative governance in Nigeria.
“I instructed my lawyer to write the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission on the matter, which has been submitted and acknowledged by the commission,” he added.
