APC Senatorial Primaries: Shinkafi Drags INEC, Party To Court Over Alleged Irregularities

A Zamfara North Senatorial aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Gusau challenging the conduct and outcome of the party’s senatorial primary election.

Shinkafi is asking the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission and the APC to account for alleged breaches of the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution during the primaries that produced the party’s candidate for the 2027 elections.

His counsel, Barrister Garba Galadi, said the legal action became necessary after what he described as failure to follow established guidelines governing party primaries, despite internal efforts to resolve the dispute.

He argued that the APC’s constitution provides for either direct primaries or consensus arrangements, but alleged that neither method was properly followed in the process that produced the candidate.

According to him, the declaration of Senator Sahabi Yau Kaura as the winner of the primary was invalid, insisting that it was carried out without due process and in violation of electoral guidelines and party rules.

Galadi said the legal team would present evidence in court to show that both the Electoral Act and internal party regulations were not complied with during the selection process.

Shinkafi, speaking separately, said he resorted to the judiciary after exhausting internal party dispute resolution mechanisms without success.

He maintained that the emergence of Senator Kaura did not reflect due process and violated democratic principles expected within the party structure.

He added that his decision to approach the court was driven by the need to ensure fairness, justice, and compliance with both party constitution and national electoral laws.

The suit adds to a growing number of pre-election disputes within political parties as preparations intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Party officials and INEC are yet to officially respond to the allegations contained in the court filing.

Observers note that such legal challenges have become increasingly common in Nigerian party primaries, especially where aspirants dispute delegate selection processes or consensus arrangements.