Lawyers Move to Bar Kingsley Chinda’s APC Guber Ticket Over Defection Dispute

There is no end in sight to Rivers State’s political crisis. An Abuja Federal High Court has been asked to stop Kingsley Chinda from taking part in the 2027 governorship election. Lawyers say his switch from the PDP to the APC breached the Electoral Act and Supreme Court rulings. Chinda emerged unopposed as the APC candidate after other aspirants withdrew. He still serves as Minority Leader in the House of Representatives under the PDP. The suit, filed on May 12, 2026 by a group of lawyers, names Chinda, his fellow aspirant George-Kelly, INEC, the Speaker, DSS and the Attorney-General as respondents. Plaintiffs want him barred from both the APC primary and the general election, and his legislative seat declared vacant. They cite Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution and a Supreme Court judgment on defection. The lawyers also seek an order for INEC to conduct a bye-election and for the APC to reject his nomination pending the court’s ruling.

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