The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected calls for the disqualification of its 2027 governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda, following a recent Supreme Court judgment on political party membership and primary elections.

The controversy stems from a September 24, 2026, judgment in which the Supreme Court stressed compliance with Section 77(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act. The provisions require 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 prompted questions about whether Chinda met the membership requirement before participating in the APC governorship primary.

Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives, registered with the APC on April 27, 2026. He was declared the winner of the party’s Rivers governorship primary on May 21, 2026, before formally announcing his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and defection to the APC on the floor of the House of Representatives on June 2.

Opponents and some legal commentators have argued that, as a serving lawmaker, his defection should be treated as having taken effect when it was formally announced in the House.

The issue has also generated calls on social media for INEC to disqualify Chinda from the 2027 governorship election.

Group asks INEC to disqualify Chinda

The Association of Legislative Drafting Practitioners (ALDRAP) has formally asked INEC to disqualify Chinda.

In a letter dated September 26, 2026, and signed by its Executive Secretary, Tonye Clinton Jaja, the group raised questions about Chinda’s nomination and the APC’s compliance with membership-register requirements.

The request is linked to a case before the Federal High Court in Abuja, where ALDRAP is challenging the eligibility of Chinda and APC candidates for Rivers State House of Assembly seats.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/972/2026, lists INEC, Abdul Mahmud, the APC, the party’s national chairman, Chinda and Mariana Ajibola as respondents.

ALDRAP also questioned the composition of the APC Rivers Governorship and House of Assembly Appeal Committee, alleging that it included individuals affiliated with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as well as members of the National Assembly who are colleagues of Chinda.

In its letter to INEC, the group sought clarification on the APC governorship nomination, the membership register submitted to the electoral commission and the steps required to implement the Supreme Court judgment.

APC says Chinda met the 21-day requirement

The Rivers APC, however, said there was no basis for questioning Chinda’s eligibility.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Ikenga Chibike, said on Sunday that Chinda had been an APC member for 24 days before the party’s governorship primary.

Chibike argued that this satisfied the 21-day requirement referenced in the Supreme Court judgment.

“There is no atom of truth in that. They said 21 days, and Hon. Chinda’s timing was 24 days when you calculate it,” he said.

He added that the party had no concerns about its candidate and expressed hope that the Rainbow Coalition would endorse Chinda ahead of the 2027 election.

The competing positions leave the legal interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment and its application to Chinda’s nomination as issues before the relevant judicial and electoral authorities.