Shehu Sani: Candidates Omitted from INEC Lists Should Stop Fighting Lost Battle

Shehu Sani, a former senator, has advised political candidates omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) lists to stop pursuing legal action, saying the supreme court ruling on party membership requirements is clear.

In September, a seven-member panel of the supreme court upheld an appeal filed by INEC and restored sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act.

Section 77(5) provides that only members whose names appear in a political party’s membership register submitted to INEC at least 21 days before a primary, congress or convention, can participate in the exercise.

The provisions concern political party membership registers, and participation in party activities, including the requirements governing primaries.

In a post on X, Sani urged affected candidates to conserve their resources and prepare for future elections rather than spend more money challenging their exclusion in court.

“The Supreme Court ruling that enabled INEC to exclude some names of candidates is very clear,” he wrote.

“Affected candidates should not waste their money, time and energy fighting a lost battle.”

Sani also appealed to lawyers representing the candidates to reconsider encouraging fresh lawsuits.

“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.

Sani’s comments come amid the absence of some prominent political figures from INEC’s final lists of governorship candidates for the 2027 elections.

Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun, and his running mate are missing from the commission’s final list for the state.

Isa Pantami, who recently won a fresh PDP governorship primary in Gombe, is also absent from INEC’s final list for the state.

INEC’s published documents do not explain why Adebutu and Pantami, alongside their running mates, are missing from the respective lists.