The Parliament Support Network (PSN) has rejected calls for the disqualification of Kingsley Chinda, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, ahead of the 2027 election. In a statement signed by its National President, Maxwell Idoko, the group said recent efforts to challenge Chinda’s nomination should not obscure what it described as the candidate’s 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 relating to political party membership registers and candidate nomination. PSN described the campaign for Chinda’s disqualification as politically motivated, saying it was aimed at preventing him from participating in the 2027 governorship election.
The group argued that the Supreme Court judgment should be applied based on its actual legal effect and should not be used as the basis for creating what it described as a fresh dispute over Chinda’s candidacy. PSN urged political stakeholders and the public to allow the relevant electoral and legal institutions to determine the implications of the judgment for candidate nominations.
The Rivers APC has maintained that Chinda registered with the party 24 days before the governorship primary, exceeding the 21-day period referenced in the interpretation of the restored provisions. Idoko noted that those seeking Chinda’s disqualification had failed to establish, on the publicly available facts, that the Supreme Court judgment automatically invalidated his nomination.
PSN accused unnamed political interests of being unsettled by what it described as Chinda’s growing political profile in Rivers and alleged that some opponents were determined to prevent his emergence. The group said it believed Nigerians should be allowed to judge candidates through the electoral process rather than through what it described as repeated attempts to manufacture legal controversies around their candidacies.
PSN also urged INEC to maintain neutrality and allow the courts to determine any genuine legal dispute arising from the nomination process. It said the Supreme Court’s restoration of sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 did not, by itself, amount to a judicial declaration that Chinda was disqualified from contesting the Rivers governorship election.
PSN called on political actors and civic organisations to allow INEC and the courts to perform their constitutional responsibilities without intimidation or political pressure, saying the focus should remain on issues affecting the people of Rivers State ahead of the 2027 election.
Key points
- The Parliament Support Network rejects the call for disqualification of Rivers APC candidate Kingsley Chinda.
