The legal battle over the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Rivers State is set to continue, with the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt fixing November 4, 2026, for the hearing of a suit challenging the nomination of Kingsley Chinda as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
The suit, filed by Samuel Amatonjie, names the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chinda, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the APC, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Clerk of the House as defendants.
What is the case about?
At the centre of the dispute is the timing of Chinda’s movement from the PDP to the APC.
Amatonjie is challenging whether Chinda had completed his defection from the PDP to the APC before participating in the party’s governorship screening and primary.
According to the claimant, Chinda was screened on May 9, 2026, and emerged as the APC governorship candidate on May 21. However, his resignation and defection letter was formally read on the floor of the House of Representatives on June 2.
The claimant argues that the court should determine whether Chinda’s defection had legally taken effect before he participated in the APC’s nomination process.
Amatonjie has stressed that his case is specifically about the interpretation of Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, in relation to defection by a member of the National Assembly.
Defendants respond
The defendants have filed preliminary objections and counter-affidavits challenging aspects of the case.
At the latest proceedings, Amatonjie told the court that he needed additional time to study the processes served on him by some of the defendants and prepare his response.
Justice Mohammed Turaki subsequently adjourned the matter to November 4 for hearing.
The dispute comes amid wider questions surrounding Chinda’s APC nomination. A separate political and legal debate has also followed recent developments concerning Nigeria’s Electoral Act and party membership requirements.
However, the pending cases are yet to produce a final judicial determination that invalidates Chinda’s nomination.
For now, Kingsley Chinda remains the APC’s announced governorship candidate, while the Federal High Court is expected to hear the legal challenge in November.
The court’s eventual interpretation could provide further clarity on how constitutional rules governing political defections apply to members of the National Assembly seeking nomination under another political party.
OnPointGist will continue to follow the case and bring you verified updates as the legal proceedings unfold.
