Kingsley Chinda Escapes INEC’s Dagger, Listed As Rivers APC Governorship Candidate
Former House of Representatives Minority Leader appears on the commission’s final list for the February 2027 election as scrutiny of party membership requirements continues.
By Reloaded News Desk
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has included Kingsley Ogundu Chinda as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State for the February 6, 2027 election.
Chinda, a former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, appears on INEC’s final list of governorship candidates released on Saturday, October 10.
His inclusion comes amid questions over his emergence as the APC candidate, particularly following renewed scrutiny of provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing political party membership registers and candidate nominations.
Chinda emerged as the APC candidate on May 21, 2026, after contesting the party’s governorship primary as its sole aspirant. The party’s primary committee declared him the winner with 268,497 votes.
His candidacy subsequently attracted attention because of his previous association with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and questions raised about his membership of the APC before the primary.
The controversy intensified after the Supreme Court, on September 24, restored provisions of the Electoral Act dealing with party membership registers and candidate nomination procedures.
The Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners subsequently asked INEC to disqualify Chinda, raising questions about compliance with the statutory requirements. A legal challenge concerning aspects of his nomination has also been reported as pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
However, the Parliament Support Network rejected calls for his disqualification, arguing that the Supreme Court’s decision did not specifically invalidate Chinda’s nomination.
The Rivers APC has also maintained that Chinda complied with the party membership requirements. Its publicity secretary, Ikenga Chibike, said Chinda registered with the APC on April 27, 2026, 24 days before the party’s governorship primary.
INEC’s inclusion of Chinda on the final list establishes that the commission has listed him as the APC candidate for the election. It does not, by itself, determine the outcome of any separate court proceedings concerning his nomination.
The development places Chinda among the candidates preparing for the Rivers governorship contest, while questions surrounding the application of the Electoral Act’s membership provisions remain a matter of legal and political interest.
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