The All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers State has reacted to growing calls for the disqualification of its 2027 governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda, following a recent Supreme Court judgment on political party membership requirements.
The development followed the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 judgment, which stressed the need for political parties to comply with Section 77(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act.
The provisions require parties to submit their verified membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at least 21 days before conducting their primary elections.
Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives, joined the APC on April 27, 2026; He subsequently emerged as the party’s governorship candidate after the APC primary held on May 21.
However, he did not formally announce his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC on the floor of the House until June 2.
The timing has generated debate among political opponents and legal commentators, with some questioning whether his APC membership was valid for the purpose of the party primary.
The Association of Legislative Drafting Practitioners (ALDRAP) has also approached INEC, asking the electoral commission to disqualify Chinda from the 2027 Rivers governorship race.
The group in a letter dated September 26, raised questions about the APC’s membership records, the party’s governorship nomination process and the implications of the Supreme Court ruling.
ALDRAP is also involved in a case before the Abuja Federal High Court seeking, among other reliefs, the disqualification of Chinda and APC candidates for Rivers State House of Assembly seats.
Despite the controversy, the Rivers APC said there was no legal problem with Chinda’s candidacy.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Ikenga Chibike, maintained that Chinda met the 21-day membership requirement before the APC primary.
According to him, Chinda became an APC member 24 days before the party conducted its governorship primary.
“There is no atom of truth in that; They said 21 days, and Hon. Chinda’s timing was 24 days when you calculated 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 said.
The dispute is now set to be closely watched as the legal questions surrounding Chinda’s candidacy continue to unfold ahead of the 2027 Rivers State governorship election.
