2027: Don’t waste money on court cases, Shehu Sani tells omitted candidates

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has urged candidates omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list for the 2027 elections to stop pursuing legal battles and instead prepare for future contests.

Sani said the affected politicians risk wasting their money, time and energy by challenging INEC’s decision in court, arguing that the Supreme Court judgment underpinning the commission’s action was clear.

He spoke after INEC released its final list of candidates, which excluded several prominent politicians, including former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isah Ali Ibrahim Pantami; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu; and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate in Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo.

In a post on his social media platforms, Sani said the affected candidates should accept the legal position and focus on future political opportunities.

“The Supreme Court ruling that enabled INEC to exclude some names of candidates is very clear.

“Affected candidates should not waste their money, time and energy fighting a lost battle,” he said.

He also appealed to lawyers representing the politicians to discourage them from filing fresh suits, warning that they could incur further expenses without changing the outcome.

“I also wish to appeal to those Barristers and SANs to ‘pity’ those candidates and allow them to rest, and not mislead them into spending more money ‘filing fresh suits’.

“Four years will come and go; let them strategise for the future,” he added.

INEC released the list following concerns raised by political parties and aggrieved aspirants over the implications of a Supreme Court judgment on candidate eligibility.

The commission’s chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, had earlier said INEC received complaints from political parties and aspirants and was reviewing the judgment after obtaining its certified true copy.

In its September 24, 2026 judgment, the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 and upheld INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections.

Following the ruling, INEC said political parties would not be allowed to participate in the elections if they submitted candidates whose names were absent from their membership registers filed with the commission within the stipulated period.

The commission also ruled out substituting such candidates.

Speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics on Wednesday evening, INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, said parties that violated the rules would not be allowed to benefit from their own actions.

Pantami, who initially sought the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State, defected to the PDP after the ruling party settled for Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna as its consensus candidate.

Adebutu and Gwarzo were also absent from INEC’s latest list, raising questions about their parties’ participation in the affected governorship races.

Sani, a human rights activist, is the APC candidate for Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 2027 elections. He won the party’s primary in May, defeating former Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Zailani.