The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed concerns over the eligibility of its 2027 governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda, following a recent Supreme Court judgment on political party membership requirements.
Sponsored Ads
The Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, has generated legal debate over the possible effect of its interpretation of Section 77(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act on candidates who participated in party primaries.
Sponsored Ads
The provisions require political parties to submit their verified membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, at least 21 days before conducting their primaries.
Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives, registered with the APC on April 27, 2026, before participating in the party’s Rivers State governorship primary held on May 21. He was subsequently declared the winner of the primary.
The lawmaker, who had previously belonged to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, formally announced his defection to the APC on the floor of the House of Representatives on June 2, 2026.
His formal declaration in the House came after the APC primary had already been conducted, prompting arguments from some political opponents and legal commentators over the date on which his defection should be considered effective.
Questions have also been raised on social media about whether the circumstances surrounding his membership and defection could affect his qualification to contest the 2027 governorship election on the APC platform.
The Association of Legislative Drafting Practitioners, ALDRAP, has separately asked INEC to disqualify Chinda from the governorship race following the Supreme Court judgment.
RELATED STORIES
Related Posts
In a letter dated September 26, 2026, and signed by its Executive Secretary, Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja, the group urged the electoral commission to take action over what it described as concerns surrounding Chinda’s eligibility.
The request is connected to a case before the Abuja Federal High Court, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/972/2026, in which ALDRAP is the plaintiff. INEC, Abdul Mahmud, the APC, the party’s National Chairman, Chinda and Mariana Ajibola are listed as respondents.
ALDRAP is seeking the disqualification of Chinda and APC candidates for the Rivers State House of Assembly election in the suit.
The organisation has also questioned the composition of the APC Rivers State Governorship and House of Assembly Appeal Committee, alleging that some members had links to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Chinda through their political or legislative activities.
It further asked INEC to examine issues relating to the APC governorship nomination, the party’s membership register, records submitted to the electoral commission and the steps required to implement the Supreme Court judgment.
However, the APC in Rivers State has rejected the concerns and maintained that Chinda remains eligible to represent the party in the governorship election.
The party’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Ikenga Chibike, said on Sunday that the Supreme Court’s 21-day requirement did not create a problem for Chinda because he joined the APC before the party’s governorship primary.
According to Chibike, Chinda became an APC member 24 days before the May 21 primary, which, in the party’s interpretation, satisfies the period referred to in the Supreme Court judgment.
The Rivers APC spokesman therefore said the party had no concern about the candidate’s eligibility and expressed confidence that Chinda would receive the support of the Rainbow Coalition before proceeding with the 2027 election campaign.
Comments are closed.