Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has advised candidates omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list for the 2027 general elections to avoid wasting money and time challenging their exclusion in court.
Sani said the Supreme Court ruling underpinning INEC’s decision was clear, urging the affected politicians to accept the situation and begin preparing for future political opportunities.
The former senator made the appeal in a post on his social media platforms following the release of INEC’s list, which excluded several prominent governorship aspirants and candidates across different states.
Among those missing from the list are former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, who is seeking the governorship of Gombe State; the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu; and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo.
Pantami had contested for the governorship ticket under the All Progressives Congress (APC) before defecting to the PDP after the ruling party in Gombe settled for Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna as its consensus candidate.
Reacting to the development, Sani argued that further legal challenges would amount to a waste of resources, advising the affected candidates to focus on their political future instead.
“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.” Sani said.
He also appealed to lawyers representing the affected politicians to discourage them from instituting fresh legal actions, warning against further expenditure on cases he believes would not change 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 after its chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, said the commission was reviewing complaints from political parties and aggrieved aspirants over the implications of a Supreme Court judgment on candidate eligibility.
Amupitan had disclosed that INEC received a certified true copy of the judgment on Tuesday and was examining it to determine the appropriate next steps.
The Supreme Court, in its September 24, 2026 judgment, 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 elections.
Following the ruling, INEC maintained that political parties would not be allowed to participate in the elections with candidates whose names were not included in the registers submitted to the commission within the stipulated period. The commission also stated that affected parties would not be permitted to substitute such candidates.
Speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics, INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, said parties that violated the rules would not be allowed to benefit from their actions.
Meanwhile, Sani is himself seeking a return to the National Assembly as the APC candidate for Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 2027 elections. He won the party’s primary held in May, defeating former Kaduna State House of Assembly Speaker Yusuf Zailani.
