The Rivers State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has questioned the eligibility of Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to contest the 2027 governorship election in the state following a recent Supreme Court judgment on political party membership registers.
The ADC argued that the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026, judgment on Sections 77(5) and 77(6) of the Electoral Act has significant implications for Chinda’s candidacy, particularly regarding the statutory requirement for political parties to submit their verified membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at least 21 days before conducting primary elections.
The judgment has generated legal debates over the eligibility of political candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections, with questions being raised about compliance with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
Speaking on the development, the Rivers State ADC Publicity Secretary, Chizi Enyi, argued that Chinda’s emergence as the APC governorship candidate was affected by the statutory requirements governing party membership registers.
Enyi, in a video shared on X, alleged that Chinda registered with the APC on April 27, 2026, while the party conducted its National Assembly primary elections on May 16, leaving only 19 days between his registration and the exercise.
According to him, the period fell short of the mandatory 21-day requirement stipulated by the Electoral Act, raising questions about the eligibility of APC candidates whose nominations might have been based on a membership register submitted before Chinda joined the party.
He also alleged that the APC had submitted its membership register to INEC on April 24, before the electoral commission extended the deadline to May 10, suggesting that Chinda might have joined the party after the submission of the register.
Enyi consequently questioned whether the APC submitted more than one membership register to INEC, insisting that the circumstances surrounding Chinda’s registration raised serious concerns about his eligibility to contest the election.
Chinda, an ally of Wike, previously served as the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He emerged as the sole APC governorship aspirant in Rivers State after other contenders, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, withdrew from the race.
He was subsequently declared the winner of the APC governorship primary conducted on May 21, 2026, after polling 268,497 votes.
However, his formal resignation from the PDP and defection to the APC were announced on the floor of the House of Representatives on June 2, 2026, although his resignation letter was dated April 23.
The circumstances surrounding his party membership and the timing of his defection have since become subjects of legal and political debate.
Meanwhile, the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) has written to the INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, seeking Chinda’s immediate disqualification from the 2027 Rivers State governorship election.
The letter, dated September 26, 2026, and signed by the association’s Executive Secretary, Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja, also requested an urgent meeting involving INEC, the APC and Chinda to explore the possibility of resolving the dispute out of court.
The association’s request is connected to a pending suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/972/2026, in which it is challenging aspects of the APC’s screening and appeal processes in Rivers State.
ALDRAP has raised allegations of bias in the composition of the party’s screening and appeal committees, particularly concerning individuals it claimed were connected to Chinda and Wike.
The association is also questioning the validity of the APC’s nomination process, the membership records submitted to INEC and the measures required to implement the Supreme Court’s judgment.
However, the Rivers State APC has rejected the allegations, insisting that Chinda satisfied the relevant membership requirements and remains qualified to contest the governorship election.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Ikenga Chibike, dismissed the calls for Chinda’s disqualification, maintaining that the candidate registered with the APC 24 days before the May 21 governorship primary.
Chibike argued that the period met the 21-day requirement and insisted that the Supreme Court judgment did not invalidate the party’s nomination.
He also expressed the party’s hope that Chinda would receive the endorsement of the Rainbow Coalition ahead of the election.
The Supreme Court judgment, delivered by a seven-member panel led by Justice Adamu Jauro, restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, after setting aside the Court of Appeal’s earlier decision declaring the provisions unconstitutional.
The provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC within the stipulated period and prescribe the procedures for nominating candidates for elective positions.
Although the Supreme Court restored the provisions, its judgment did not specifically disqualify Chinda or any other candidate. The legality of individual nominations remains dependent on the circumstances of each case and compliance with the applicable electoral laws.
The controversy over Chinda’s candidacy therefore remains a subject of legal debate, with the ADC and ALDRAP questioning his eligibility while the Rivers State APC maintains that its candidate complied with the relevant requirements.
