APC chieftain and Zamfara North Senatorial aspirant, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has demanded the immediate withdrawal of Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u’s name as the party’s candidate after INEC published it despite a Federal High Court order nullifying the primary that produced him.
Shinkafi, who spoke with journalists in Gusau on Saturday, said the publication came despite the August 31, 2026 judgment ordering the APC to conduct a fresh primary within 14 days. The court also directed INEC to accept and publish the candidate who emerges from the fresh exercise.
The Federal High Court in Gusau, presided over by Justice Hassan Dikko, had nullified the APC’s May 19 Zamfara North senatorial primary in Suit No. FHC/GS/CS/6/2026.
The court held that due process was not followed and ordered a fresh primary for all cleared aspirants.
Shinkafi said INEC’s decision to publish Ya’u’s name before compliance with the judgment undermined the authority of the judiciary and could weaken public confidence in the electoral process.
“It is inappropriate, unfair, unjust 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.
Shinkafi added that the commission had been served with a Certified True Copy of the judgment.
According to him, INEC, as the electoral umpire, has a responsibility to protect the credibility and integrity of the electoral process, including the nomination processes of political parties.
He said publishing Ya’u’s name before a fresh primary or the final determination of the matter by the appellate courts could undermine the judicial process.
“Publishing 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 aggrieved citizens,” he said.
Shinkafi warned that disregarding the court order could further erode confidence in the electoral system.
“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 stated.
He therefore demanded that INEC immediately withdraw Ya’u’s name pending compliance with the court order.
Meanwhile, Shinkafi’s counsel, YAS Law Firm, has formally petitioned the INEC Chairman over the publication.
In a September 18, 2026 letter titled, “Notice Of Unlawful Publication Of Sen. Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u As APC Candidate For Zamfara North Senatorial District In Defiance Of Existing Federal High Court Judgement,” the firm urged the commission to halt further action.
The lawyers argued that the subsisting judgment required the APC to conduct a fresh primary before INEC could publish a candidate emerging from the exercise.
The letter stated: “In light of the subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court, we urge the Commission to immediately withdraw and stay the publication of Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u as the APC candidate, pending the final determination of the matter in the appellate courts or pending the fresh primary election ordered by the court, to preserve the rule of law.”
The August 31 judgment declared the May 19 primary null and void and directed the APC to conduct another exercise for all cleared aspirants within 14 days.
It also directed INEC to accept and publish the name of any candidate who validly emerges from the fresh primary.
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