INEC Publishes Ya’u as APC Candidate Despite Court Order

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has listed Senator Sahabi Ya’u as the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate for Zamfara North Senatorial District in the 2027 election despite a Federal High Court ruling that cancelled the party’s earlier primary election.

Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, an APC senatorial aspirant, raised concerns over the publication, saying the commission’s action went against the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Gusau on August 31, 2026.

Justice Hassan Dikko had cancelled the APC senatorial primary held on May 19 and directed the party to organise another primary involving all aspirants who had been cleared to contest.

The court also ordered INEC to recognise and publish the name of the candidate who emerges from the fresh primary.

Shinkafi, in a statement issued on Thursday, said INEC had received a certified copy of the court judgment and was therefore expected to act in line with the directives contained in the ruling.

Following the publication of Ya’u’s name, Shinkafi’s lawyers, YAS Law Firm, wrote to the INEC Chairman on September 18, requesting that the senator’s name be removed from the commission’s list.

The lawyers referred to Suit No. FHC/GS/CS/6/2026 and argued that the May 19 APC primary had already been nullified by the court over alleged breaches of the Electoral Act and the party’s own rules.

They asked the electoral commission not to take further steps concerning Ya’u’s candidacy until the APC conducts a new primary or the case is finally resolved by the appellate courts.

Shinkafi maintained that allowing Ya’u’s candidacy to remain published while the court’s order is still in place could raise further questions about the APC’s nomination process in Zamfara North.

He also said the development could affect public confidence in the electoral process as the dispute over the party’s senatorial ticket continues.

The dispute is now centred on whether the APC will conduct the fresh primary ordered by the Federal High Court and whether INEC will maintain or withdraw the published name pending the outcome of further legal proceedings.

The matter could therefore continue before the courts as the parties seek clarification and pursue their respective positions ahead of the 2027 general election.