The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has dismissed concerns over the eligibility of its governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda, following renewed legal questions arising from a recent Supreme Court ruling.
The Supreme Court’s judgment of September 24, 2026, restored several provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 that had previously been struck down by the Court of Appeal.
The provisions include Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2), which deal with issues including political party membership registers and candidate nomination procedures.
The ruling has attracted particular attention in Rivers State because of questions surrounding Chinda’s membership of the APC before the party’s governorship primary.
Available reports indicate that Chinda registered with the APC on April 27, while the party conducted its governorship primary on May 21.
The APC says the 24-day gap between the two events satisfies the requirement concerning party membership before a primary.
However, critics have raised another legal question: whether Chinda’s name was included in the membership register submitted by the APC to INEC within the period required by the Electoral Act.
The Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) has formally asked the electoral commission to investigate the matter.
In a letter dated September 26 and signed by its Executive Secretary, Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja, the organisation called on INEC to disqualify Chinda from the 2027 Rivers governorship election.
The matter is also connected to a Federal High Court case in Abuja in which ALDRAP is challenging aspects of the APC’s nomination process in Rivers State.
The association has raised questions about the party’s governorship and House of Assembly nominations, its membership records and the implications of the Supreme Court’s latest decision.
Rivers APC has rejected the allegations.
Its Publicity Secretary, Ikenga Chibike, said there was no problem with Chinda’s candidacy, arguing that the law’s 21-day requirement had been met.
According to Chibike, Chinda became an APC member 24 days before the party conducted its governorship primary.
The APC spokesman therefore dismissed calls for the candidate’s disqualification and maintained that the party remained confident in his candidacy.
The dispute illustrates some of the legal questions emerging from the Supreme Court’s restoration of the Electoral Act provisions as political parties prepare for the 2027 elections.
While ALDRAP is seeking action from INEC, the APC maintains that Chinda complied with the relevant membership requirement.
The Supreme Court’s judgment, based on the reports reviewed, did not specifically order the disqualification of Chinda. His eligibility remains a matter being challenged through separate legal and administrative processes.
