Shehu Sani Reacts To Candidates Missing From INEC List

Shehu Sani, a former senator from Kaduna Central, has called on political candidates whose names are absent from the final lists of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to give up on further legal disputes and start getting ready for upcoming elections.

According to Sani, the Supreme Court’s decision regarding political party membership lists clarified the issue and advised impacted candidates not to invest additional funds, time, or effort in contesting their exclusion.

“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 wrote in a post on X.

“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.”

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 on a political party’s membership register submitted to INEC at least 21 days before a primary, congress or convention can participate in the exercise.

As I said earlier, INEC is in the best placed to explain why the candidates were omitted from the list and why the decision was reversed. A clear explanation would address the doubts and speculation surrounding the issue. While Shehu Sani says candidates should accept INEC’s decision, the commission should publicly state the reasons for its decision and explain the relevant rules or provisions. INEC owes the candidates and the public that clarification.