The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed concerns about the eligibility of its 2027 governorship candidate, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, following a recent Supreme Court judgment.
The apex court judgment, delivered on September 24, 2026, has sparked legal debate over its implications for Chinda’s candidacy.
The ruling emphasised compliance with Sections 77(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act, which require political parties to submit their verified register of members to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at least 21 days before conducting primary elections.
Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives and an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, registered with the APC on April 27, 2026.
He formally announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and defection to the APC on the floor of the House of Representatives on June 2, 2026, after he had already been declared winner of the APC primary held on May 21.
Some political opponents and legal commentators argue that, as a serving lawmaker, Chinda’s formal defection should be regarded as effective only from the date it was announced in the Green Chamber.
This has fuelled calls on social media for INEC to disqualify him.Following the Supreme Court judgment, the Association of Legislative Drafting Practitioners (ALDRAP) wrote to INEC on September 26, 2026, seeking Chinda’s immediate disqualification from the 2027 governorship race.
The letter, signed by ALDRAP’s Executive Secretary, Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja, is linked to a pending suit before the Abuja Federal High Court (suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/972/2026).In the suit, ALDRAP is asking the court to disqualify Chinda and APC candidates for the Rivers State House of Assembly election.
The group raised concerns over the composition of the APC Rivers State Governorship and House of Assembly Appeal Committee, alleging it was populated by Wike’s associates and Chinda’s colleagues who are members of the National Assembly.
ALDRAP also questioned the status of the APC governorship nomination, membership-register requirements, records submitted to INEC, and steps needed to give effect to the Supreme Court judgment.
Reacting on Sunday, Rivers APC Publicity Secretary Ikenga Chibike dismissed the concerns. He said the party has no issue with Chinda’s candidacy, noting that the Supreme Court judgment requires a candidate to have been a party member for at least 21 days before the primary.
Chinda, he stated, registered with the APC 24 days before the primary was conducted.“There is no atom of truth in that. They said 21 days, and Hon. Chinda’s timing was 24 days when you calculate it. So, we have no challenges with our party candidate. We are praying that the Rainbow Coalition endorsement should be him, then we move on to winning the election,” Chibike told reporters.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com