Former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani has advised politicians left off the Independent National Electoral Commission’s candidate list for the 2027 elections to abandon further court challenges and prepare for later electoral opportunities.
Key takeaways
- Sani said a Supreme Court decision provides a clear basis for INEC’s exclusion of certain candidates.
- He warned affected aspirants not to spend additional funds, effort or time on legal cases he considers unwinnable.
- The former senator appealed to lawyers, including Senior Advocates of Nigeria, not to encourage fresh litigation.
- He said the four-year election cycle would pass quickly and urged excluded candidates to plan ahead.
Call to halt further legal action
In a Saturday post on X, Sani said the Supreme Court ruling underpinning INEC’s decision to omit some names from the 2027 election list left little room for further dispute. He urged those concerned to avoid what he described as an already-lost legal fight.
“The Supreme Court ruling that enabled INEC to exclude some names of candidates is very clear,” Sani said. “Affected candidates should not waste their money, time and energy fighting a lost battle.”
Appeal to legal advisers
Sani also called on barristers and Senior Advocates of Nigeria to show restraint and not lead excluded candidates into spending more money on new court filings.
“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,” he said.
He added that the next four-year period would eventually pass, advising the affected politicians to use the time to develop a strategy for future elections.
