PSN says Supreme Court judgment does not automatically invalidate Chinda’s nomination
The Parliament Support Network (PSN), a civil society organisation, has rejected calls for the disqualification of Kingsley Chinda as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State for the 2027 election.
In a statement signed by its National President, Maxwell Idoko, the group described the campaign against Chinda’s candidacy as politically motivated and argued that attempts to reopen questions surrounding his nomination should not obscure what it said was his compliance with applicable electoral requirements.
The statement followed a request by the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) asking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify Chinda following last week’s Supreme Court judgment on provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 dealing with political party membership registers and candidate nomination.
The Supreme Court, in a judgment delivered on September 24, restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 after setting aside a Court of Appeal decision that had voided the provisions.
The restored provisions have triggered debate over the eligibility of some candidates, including Chinda, who was declared winner of the Rivers APC governorship primary on May 21.
According to reports, Chinda registered with the APC on April 27, 2026, 24 days before the party’s governorship primary. The Rivers APC has argued that this satisfied the applicable 21-day requirement and has maintained that the Supreme Court judgment did not nullify Chinda’s candidacy.
PSN said the Supreme Court ruling should not be interpreted as an automatic declaration that Chinda was ineligible. The group argued that any genuine legal challenge to his nomination should be determined through the appropriate legal process rather than through public pressure.
The organisation also urged INEC to maintain neutrality and allow the courts to determine any substantive dispute concerning Chinda’s nomination.
The controversy over Chinda’s candidacy predates the latest Supreme Court judgment. In May, ALDRAP approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order restraining INEC from recognising Chinda’s participation in the Rivers APC governorship primary. Chinda was the sole aspirant in that primary and was subsequently declared the winner.
While ALDRAP has maintained its position on the implications of the Supreme Court ruling, the APC in Rivers State has continued to insist that Chinda remains its candidate and that the judgment does not invalidate his nomination.
