Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has urged politicians omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list for the 2027 elections to abandon further legal challenges and begin preparing for future political contests.
Sani argued that pursuing fresh court cases over the exclusions could amount to a waste of time and resources, insisting that the Supreme Court’s recent decision had provided a clear legal basis for INEC’s action.
The former lawmaker made his position known in a social media post following the commission’s publication of the final list of candidates eligible to participate in the forthcoming elections.
The controversy follows a September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgement affirming the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026. The ruling also upheld INEC’s revised timetable for the 2027 general elections.
INEC subsequently maintained that political parties could not participate in the elections with candidates whose names were not submitted within the prescribed period. The commission also ruled out replacing such candidates where the established requirements had not been met.
Among the prominent politicians missing from the published list are former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isah Ali Ibrahim Pantami, who had sought the Gombe governorship ticket, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu. Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, was also excluded.
Pantami had initially pursued his governorship ambition 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.
INEC had earlier acknowledged receiving complaints from political parties and aggrieved aspirants following the Supreme Court ruling. Its chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, said the commission was examining the certified judgement to determine the appropriate steps to take.
However, INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, had warned that parties which failed to comply with the nomination rules would not be permitted to benefit from their own violations.
Sani appealed to lawyers, including Senior Advocates of Nigeria, to advise the affected politicians against pursuing what he considers unpromising litigation. He urged them to conserve their resources and focus on building stronger political strategies for the future.
According to him, the next four years would provide another opportunity for the affected aspirants to reposition themselves and pursue their political ambitions.
Sani, who is also the APC candidate for the Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 2027 elections, secured his party’s ticket during the May primary after defeating former Kaduna State House of Assembly Speaker Yusuf Zailani.
