The Federal High Court sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State, has nullified the All Progressives Congress primary election for the Zamfara North Senatorial District and ordered the party to conduct a fresh exercise within 14 days.

Justice Hassan Dikko delivered the judgment on Monday, August 31, 2026, in a pre-election suit instituted by APC senatorial aspirant, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, challenging the process that produced Senator Sahabi Ya’u as the party’s candidate for the district.

The court directed the APC to conduct a fresh primary election in accordance with the applicable rules within 14 days of the judgment.

AIT reported that the court held that no valid primary election was conducted on May 19 as claimed by the party.

Shinkafi had approached the Federal High Court after disputing the process through which Ya’u emerged as the APC candidate.

The suit, reported as FHC/GS/CS/6/2026, named the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission and Senator Ya’u as defendants.

Shinkafi’s case was that he had purchased the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms, undergone screening and been cleared to participate in the primary alongside other aspirants.

He maintained that he neither withdrew from the contest nor consented to the emergence of Ya’u as a consensus candidate.

Court documents previously reported in the media showed that Shinkafi questioned whether the APC complied with the Electoral Act 2026, its constitution and guidelines governing direct and consensus primaries.

He had asked the court to declare that there was neither a valid consensus arrangement nor a valid direct primary for the Zamfara North ticket and to order the APC to organise a fresh exercise involving all cleared aspirants.

The disputed primary was scheduled for May 19, 2026.

Before filing the suit, Shinkafi had petitioned the APC national leadership, alleging that Ya’u had been imposed as the party’s candidate despite his own clearance to contest.

He subsequently proceeded to court after the dispute was not resolved within the party.

Proceedings in the case continued for several months, with the court hearing affidavits, counter-affidavits, preliminary objections and arguments from the parties.

On August 7, Justice Dikko fixed August 31 for judgment after the parties adopted their final written addresses.

Delivering judgment on Monday, the court nullified the disputed primary and directed the APC to organise another election within 14 days.

Reacting to the decision, Shinkafi welcomed the judgment and described it as a significant development in his bid for the senatorial ticket.

“I appreciate the judgment. It’s a milestone towards our success. The judiciary has been vindicated; people still have confidence in it,” he said.

The judgment effectively requires the APC to return to the nomination process for its Zamfara North senatorial candidate, subject to any appellate steps the affected parties may decide to take.

Senator Ya’u had emerged from the disputed process as the APC candidate before Shinkafi commenced the action challenging its legality.

The court’s decision concerns the validity of the APC’s internal nomination process and does not determine the eventual winner of the Zamfara North senatorial election scheduled as part of the 2027 general elections.

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