Shinkafi to INEC: Withdraw Ya’u as APC’s Zamfara North Senatorial candidate

By Musa Baba Adamu with agency report

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and aspirant for Zamfara North Senatorial District, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding the immediate withdrawal of Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u’s name as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general elections.

Shinkafi’s demand followed the October 20, 2026, judgment of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division, which dismissed Ya’u’s appeal and upheld an earlier Federal High Court judgment nullifying the APC’s purported senatorial primary election.

In a letter addressed to the INEC chairman through his lawyers, Shinkafi argued that the commission’s continued publication of Ya’u’s name as the APC candidate contradicted the subsisting court judgments.

The 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 Judgment and Court of Appeal Judgment,” urged INEC to comply with the court decisions.

According to the petition, the Federal High Court in Gusau, in Suit No. FHC/GS/CS/6/2026, nullified the purported APC primary election and directed the party to conduct a fresh exercise involving all cleared aspirants.

The petition further stated that the Court of Appeal, in Appeal No. CA/S/239/2026, affirmed the lower court’s judgment on October 20, 2026, dismissing Ya’u’s appeal as unmeritorious.

Shinkafi’s lawyers maintained that INEC had been served with certified true copies of the judgments and was therefore aware of the court orders.

They argued that retaining Ya’u’s name before the conduct of a fresh primary or the final resolution of the legal dispute could undermine judicial authority and violate established electoral procedures.

“In light of the subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal, we urge the Commission to immediately withdraw and stay the publication of Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u as the APC candidate,” the letter stated.

Reacting to the development, Shinkafi criticised INEC’s continued recognition of Ya’u as the party’s candidate, warning that its handling of the matter could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

He urged the electoral commission to demonstrate its commitment to the rule of law by complying with the court judgments and ensuring that the APC’s candidate selection process followed due procedure.

Shinkafi also alleged that anti-democratic forces were working to prevent the APC from fielding a candidate for Zamfara North Senatorial District. He cautioned against a recurrence of past electoral disputes in which court decisions affected political parties’ participation in elections.

The APC aspirant insisted that the dispute must be resolved in accordance with the law, reaffirming his commitment to democratic governance and fair representation.

The letter, which Shinkafi said had been submitted to and acknowledged by INEC, was accompanied by the Court of Appeal judgment and a copy of the commission’s publication listing Ya’u as the APC candidate.

The dispute adds to the legal and political challenges facing the APC in Zamfara State ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the party’s choice of candidate for Zamfara North Senatorial District remaining at the centre of the controversy.