JUST IN: Court Move to Stop Chinda From 2027 Rivers Governorship Race

A fresh legal battle has emerged over the 2027 governorship race in Rivers State following a suit seeking to stop House of Representatives Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, from contesting the election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

The case, filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja, is the latest development in the prolonged political crisis rocking Rivers State ahead of the 2027 polls.

Chinda, who is widely known as an ally of Nyesom Wike, recently emerged as the APC governorship candidate after other aspirants stepped down before the party’s primary election held on May 21, 2026.

However, a group of lawyers under the aegis of the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners has asked the court to prevent him from participating in the election.

The group argued that Chinda’s alleged defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC violated provisions of the Constitution and the Electoral Act.

According to the suit, the lawmaker still occupies the position of Minority Leader in the House of Representatives based on his PDP membership, despite emerging as APC governorship candidate in Rivers State.

The plaintiffs are also asking the court to compel the Speaker of the House of Representatives to remove Chinda as Minority Leader and declare his seat vacant over what they described as dual party membership.

They further requested an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, not to recognise his candidature pending the determination of the suit.

Also joined in the suit are INEC, the Department of State Services, DSS, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the APC and former governorship aspirant, Alabo George-Kelly.

The plaintiffs claimed that George-Kelly did not resign his appointment as Director-General of the Border Communities Development Agency within the period required for political appointees seeking elective office.

Although George-Kelly later withdrew from the governorship race, the suit maintained that the circumstances surrounding the APC primary should still be examined by the court.

In documents before the court, the lawyers argued that Chinda’s continued stay in the National Assembly while participating in APC activities was “unconstitutional, unlawful and contrary to democratic ethics.”

The matter is yet to be assigned a hearing date.