Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has urged politicians omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of candidates for the 2027 elections to abandon further legal battles and begin preparing for future electoral contests.
Sani warned that continued litigation could drain the affected politicians financially without changing their situation, urging them to consider the implications of a recent Supreme Court ruling before filing fresh lawsuits.
In a post on X, the former lawmaker said the judgment had clarified the legal basis for INEC’s decision to exclude 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,” he stated.
He also appealed to lawyers representing the affected politicians, particularly Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), to discourage them from pursuing further court cases 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.
The Supreme Court ruling, delivered in September, restored provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 relating to political party membership registers and participation in party primaries. Under Section 77(5), only party members whose names appear on the membership register submitted to INEC at least 21 days before a primary, congress or convention are eligible to participate in the exercise.
The development has raised concerns among politicians whose names are missing from INEC’s final lists ahead of the 2027 elections.
Those affected include Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu in Ogun State and former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, who recently emerged as the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State.
INEC’s published lists did not specify the reasons for the omission of the affected candidates and their running mates.
Sani advised the politicians to accept the present circumstances and redirect their efforts towards future political opportunities rather than continue spending resources on legal disputes.
He noted that the current electoral cycle would eventually end, giving them another opportunity to prepare for subsequent elections.
“Four years will come and go; let them strategise for the future,” he said.
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