A Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) to provide documentary evidence establishing the legality of Kingsley Chinda’s nomination as its candidate for the 2027 Rivers State governorship election. Eze made the demand against the backdrop of the Supreme Court judgment which restored key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 dealing with political party membership registers and the nomination of candidates. The Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment delivered on September 24, restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act after setting aside an earlier Court of Appeal decision that had invalidated the provisions.
The ruling has raised fresh questions over the nomination of some candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections, including Chinda, who emerged as the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State. Section 77(5) provides that only members whose names are contained in a political party’s membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within the required period can participate in the party’s primaries, congresses or conventions. Section 77(6) requires parties to use the same register submitted to INEC for those exercises, while Section 77(7) provides consequences for a party that fails to comply with the statutory requirement.
The controversy surrounding Chinda centres on the timing of his membership of the APC and the party’s Rivers governorship primary. Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives, was reported to have registered with the APC on April 27, 2026. He subsequently emerged as the party’s candidate after its governorship primary in Rivers State on May 21. The Rivers APC has maintained that Chinda had satisfied the 21-day requirement because April 27 was 24 days before the May 21 primary.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Ikenga Chibike, rejected calls for Chinda’s disqualification and said the Supreme Court judgment did not invalidate his candidacy. “There is no atom of truth in that. They said 21 days, and Hon. Chinda’s timing was 24 days when you calculate it,” Chibike said. But Eze has argued that the issue goes beyond simply calculating the number of days between Chinda’s reported registration date and the date of the primary.
In a statement made available to journalists, the ADC chieftain said the crucial question was whether Chinda’s name appeared in the specific APC membership register that was validly submitted to INEC within the period required by law. Eze further called on the APC to make the relevant records available if it is confident that its Rivers governorship primary complied with the Electoral Act.
The dispute has also attracted legal action. The Association of Legislative Drafting Practitioners (ALDRAP) has a pending suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja concerning aspects of Chinda’s nomination. The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/972/2026, lists INEC, APC, Chinda and other parties among the respondents. Eze said Section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution also makes party membership and sponsorship relevant to anyone seeking the office of governor.
Eze urged INEC to examine the APC’s Rivers State nomination records and membership register in the same manner it would examine those of other political parties. He said the commission should establish whether the register used by the APC complied with the statutory timeline and whether all participants in the primary were entitled to take part under the restored provisions of the Electoral Act.
Key points
- The Supreme Court restored key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
- Chinda's nomination as APC candidate is being challenged.
- The dispute may affect the 2027 Rivers State governorship election.
