The All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared incumbent Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u Kaura the winner of its fresh Zamfara North senatorial primary in Gusau, Zamfara State, on Monday, November 2, 2026, giving the senator a reported victory in the contest to secure the party’s ticket for the 2027 general election.

The announcement followed a prolonged political and legal dispute over the party’s earlier primary, which had been challenged by fellow aspirant Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi.

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According to the results announced by the chairman of the APC Zamfara North Senatorial District Primary Election Committee, Dr Auwal Abdullahi Aliyu, Ya’u secured 49,176 votes, comfortably ahead of Tijjani Yahaya Kaura, who received 9,628 votes. Shinkafi was reported to have finished third.

Aliyu said the exercise complied with the relevant legal requirements and the party’s electoral guidelines.

Declaring the outcome, he said: “Having satisfied the requirements of the law and the APC primary election guidelines, I, Dr Auwal Abdullahi, Chairman of the APC Zamfara North Senatorial District Primary Election Committee, hereby declare Sahabi Ya’u Kaura the winner of the primary election.”

The reported results indicated that Ya’u secured victories across all four local government areas in the senatorial district, demonstrating his considerable support in the declared figures.

He polled 21,689 votes in Kaura Namoda, 19,017 in Zurmi, 3,815 in Shinkafi and 4,655 in Birnin Magaji.

Tijjani Yahaya Kaura, meanwhile, reportedly secured 6,586 votes in Kaura Namoda, 280 in Zurmi, 2,087 in Shinkafi and 675 in Birnin Magaji.

Shinkafi’s reported local government results were 150 votes in Kaura Namoda, 386 in Zurmi, 1,208 in Shinkafi and 858 in Birnin Magaji.

However, the outcome has been accompanied by competing accounts of the election.

Channels Television also reported Ya’u’s emergence as the winner, although its published breakdown attributed 2,602 votes to Shinkafi, rather than the 6,206 reported in the initial Punch account.

More significantly, Premium Times reported a separate declaration in which Tijjani Yahaya Kaura was announced as the winner, with 16,758 votes against 1,465 for Ya’u and 1,447 for Shinkafi.

The conflicting declarations, alongside reports of violence at some voting centres, have introduced considerable uncertainty into the outcome.

Premium Times also highlighted discrepancies between the reported figures for accredited voters, valid votes and candidates’ scores.

The official result sheets and the circumstances surrounding the competing declarations will therefore be important in establishing the definitive outcome of the exercise. The available reports do not independently resolve the disagreement.

The fresh primary itself followed months of legal proceedings initiated by Shinkafi, who challenged the legitimacy of the APC’s earlier senatorial primary conducted on May 19, 2026.

Shinkafi had alleged that the exercise was marred by irregularities and failed to comply with the party’s electoral guidelines and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.

On August 31, 2026, the Federal High Court in Gusau, presided over by Justice Hassan Dikko, nullified the earlier primary and directed the APC to conduct a fresh exercise within 14 days.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Ya’u challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto, arguing, among other things, that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case.

However, the appellate court dismissed his appeal on October 20, upholding the lower court’s decision and the directive for a fresh primary.

Counsel to Shinkafi, Bello Galadi, welcomed the appellate court’s decision, describing it as an affirmation of the importance of accountability within the democratic process.

“This judgment has vindicated my client’s decision to seek redress in court and sends a strong message that impunity has no place in our democratic process,” Galadi said, according to Blueprint Newspapers.

The legal dispute also attracted attention because the original primary’s reported voting figures had been challenged.

The court proceedings centred on whether the party had conducted a valid exercise in accordance with its own rules and the law.

Beyond the courtroom disagreement, the Zamfara North contest reflects the political competition within the APC in the state, where influential political figures and competing party interests have shaped the contest for the senatorial ticket.

Ya’u’s reported emergence would represent an important opportunity to retain his position in the National Assembly, while the challenge from rival aspirants has demonstrated the depth of disagreement surrounding the party’s candidate-selection process.

For Zamfara North, the dispute carries significance beyond the immediate fortunes of the three aspirants. The district comprises Kaura Namoda, Zurmi, Shinkafi and Birnin Magaji, communities where political representation remains closely connected to concerns about security, infrastructure, agriculture and public services.

The 2027 general election will provide another opportunity for voters to decide who represents the district in the Senate. However, the APC must first establish a credible and undisputed candidate-selection outcome.

While the declaration attributed to the party’s primary committee gives Ya’u a reported advantage, the competing announcement and questions surrounding the published figures mean that the final status of the party’s ticket requires further clarification.

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The immediate challenge for the APC is therefore not simply to announce a winner, but to ensure that the outcome commands confidence among aspirants, party members and the wider electorate.