Shinkafi demands INEC withdraw Ya’u’s name as APC Zamfara North candidate

By Musa Baba Adamu

The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and Zamfara North senatorial aspirant, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately withdraw Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u’s name as the party’s candidate for the district.

Shinkafi’s demand followed the publication of Ya’u’s name by INEC despite an August 31 judgment of the Federal High Court in Gusau, which nullified the APC primary election that produced him.

In a statement on Saturday, Shinkafi alleged that INEC’s decision to publish Ya’u’s name amounted to disregard for a subsisting court order, insisting that the commission should await the conduct of a fresh primary or the determination of the matter by the appellate courts.

The Federal High Court, in Suit No. FHC/GS/CS/6/2026, had set aside the APC’s May 19 primary after holding that due process was not followed.

Justice Hassan Dikko ordered the APC to conduct a fresh primary for Zamfara North within 14 days and directed that all aspirants who had been cleared to contest the original exercise should be allowed to participate.

The judge further directed INEC to accept and publish the name of the candidate who validly emerges from the fresh primary.

Shinkafi said the electoral commission had been served with a certified true copy of the judgment and was therefore aware of the court’s directive.

“It is inappropriate, unfair, unjust, justice juxtaposed and an assault on the nation’s emerging democracy for INEC to flagrantly violate a clear order of a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.

According to him, retaining Ya’u’s name could undermine the authority of the judiciary and weaken public confidence in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general election.

“The publication of any candidate’s name prior to a fresh primary election ordered by the court, or determination of the matter at the appellate court undermines the Judiciary as the temple of justice and the last hope of all aggrieved citizens,” Shinkafi said.

He also argued that INEC’s role extended beyond receiving and publishing names submitted by political parties, stressing that the commission had a responsibility to ensure that the nomination process complied with the law.

“As the electoral umpire, INEC should safeguard the credibility and integrity of the electoral process including the political parties’ nomination processes,” he said.

Shinkafi further pointed out that INEC was a party to the suit and had been represented during the proceedings.

“Disobeying a court order in a matter which the commission was a party to and fully represented will erode public confidence in the electoral system,” he said.

The APC chieftain also recalled previous cases in which the Supreme Court nullified party primaries and electoral victories subsequently went to candidates of rival parties.

Meanwhile, YAS Law Firm, counsel to Shinkafi, has formally protested the publication of Ya’u’s name in a September 18 letter addressed to the INEC Chairman.

The lawyers described the publication as unlawful and contrary to the Federal High Court’s judgment, which they said found that the May 19 primary breached provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.

The law firm urged INEC to withdraw Ya’u’s name pending the fresh primary ordered by the court or the final determination of the case through the appellate process.

The dispute has placed the APC’s Zamfara North senatorial ticket under renewed legal scrutiny, with Shinkafi insisting that INEC should not recognise Ya’u as the party’s candidate on the basis of a primary that has already been nullified by the court.