The political crisis in Rivers State deepened on Monday as a suit was filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop Kingsley Chinda from contesting the 2027 governorship election under the All Progressives Congress.
The suit also urged the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising Chinda as the party’s candidate, citing alleged constitutional breaches arising from his defection.
Chinda, who currently serves as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, recently emerged as the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State following a primary election held on May 21, 2026.
His emergence followed the withdrawal of other aspirants, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Tonye Cole and Alabo George-Kelly.
However, an Abuja-based group, Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, in a suit filed on May 12, 2026, is challenging his eligibility.
The plaintiff, through its counsel, J.B. Lamay, argued that Chinda’s alleged defection from the PDP to the APC violated provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution.
The group is asking the court to, among other reliefs, bar Chinda from participating in both the APC primary and the 2027 general election.
It further urged the court to direct the Speaker of the House of Representatives to declare Chinda’s seat vacant and remove him as Minority Leader over alleged dual party membership.
The plaintiff also sought an order compelling INEC to conduct a bye-election to fill the vacancy if the court finds merit in its claims.
In addition, the suit listed several defendants, including the APC, INEC, the Department of State Services, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The legal challenge also initially targeted George-Kelly over his failure to resign as Director-General of the Border Communities Development Agency before contesting, in line with directives to political appointees.
However, his withdrawal from the race has shifted focus solely to Chinda.
In an affidavit deposed to by the association’s Administrative Secretary, Jesse Amuga, the plaintiff maintained that Chinda’s continued stay in the National Assembly while pursuing governorship ambition under another party was “unlawful and contrary to democratic ethics.”
The group further disclosed that it had, in October 2025, issued a pre-action notice warning of a possible recall if Chinda defected from the PDP.
It alleged that despite the warning, the lawmaker switched allegiance to the APC in April 2026, prompting the lawsuit.
The court is yet to fix a date for hearing.
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