Court Sacks APC Candidate, Orders Fresh Primary Election

The Federal High Court sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State, has nullified the emergence of Senator Sahabi Ya’u Kaura as the 2027 All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Zamfara North and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary election.

Justice Hassan Dikko delivered the ruling on Monday after hearing arguments from the parties involved in the suit.

The judge directed the APC to organise another senatorial primary in the district within 14 days of the judgment.

The ruling followed a suit filed by an APC senatorial aspirant, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, who challenged the validity of the primary election that produced Kaura as the party’s candidate.

Kaura had emerged victorious at the APC primary conducted on May 19, 2026, reportedly polling 65,642 votes to defeat other aspirants in the contest.

Other aspirants who participated in the primary included Shinkafi, Hannafi Musa-Moriki and Tijjani Yahaya.

With the court nullifying the earlier exercise, the result of the May 19 primary can no longer be relied upon by the APC to field Kaura as its candidate for Zamfara North Senatorial District in the 2027 general election.

The party is therefore expected to conduct a fresh primary within the 14-day deadline set by the court.

The new exercise will give Kaura, Shinkafi and the other aspirants another opportunity to compete for the APC ticket ahead of the 2027 election.

Reacting to the judgment, Shinkafi welcomed the decision, describing it as a positive development in his legal challenge against the earlier primary.

The ruling could further shape the APC’s preparations for the 2027 senatorial contest in Zamfara North as the party works to comply with the court’s directive.