Stop Fighting a Lost Battle, Shehu Sani Advises Candidates Excluded by INEC

 

 Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has advised politicians whose names were omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of candidates for the 2027 elections to stop pursuing further legal battles and begin preparing for future electoral contests.

Sani gave the advice in a post on social media, arguing that the Supreme Court’s ruling on political party membership registers and participation in party primaries had clarified the legal position regarding the exclusion of some candidates. 

“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,” the former lawmaker said.

He also appealed to lawyers representing the affected politicians, particularly Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), to reconsider encouraging them to institute fresh legal proceedings that could increase their financial burden.

“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’,” Sani added. He urged the politicians to strategise for future elections, noting that another electoral cycle would eventually come around. 

The former senator’s comments followed INEC’s publication of its final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship elections, which omitted several prominent politicians and their running mates.

Among those affected are Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State, and Isa Pantami, who recently emerged from a fresh PDP governorship primary in Gombe State. Their names were absent from INEC’s published lists, although the commission did not explain the specific reasons for each omission in the documents. 

The development comes after the Supreme Court, in September, upheld INEC’s appeal and restored provisions of the Electoral Act concerning political party membership registers and participation in primaries, congresses and conventions.

Under Section 77(5) of the Act, only party members whose names appear on a membership register submitted to INEC at least 21 days before a primary, congress or convention may participate in the exercise. The ruling has implications for disputes involving party membership, nominations and candidate eligibility.