The Rivers State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised questions over the eligibility of Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, an ally of former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, to contest the 2027 election.
The party’s position follows a recent Supreme Court judgment which the ADC said could affect candidates whose political parties did not comply with statutory requirements on the submission of membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of primary elections.
The Supreme Court, in its September 24 judgment, stressed the importance of compliance with Section 77(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act. The provisions require political parties to submit their verified membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before conducting their primary elections.
The ruling has since generated legal discussions over its possible implications for candidates contesting various elective positions.
Reacting to the judgment, Rivers ADC Publicity Secretary, Chizi Enyi, argued that the decision has rendered Chinda’s candidacy invalid.
Enyi made the claim in a video shared on X, where he alleged that only 19 days separated Chinda’s registration with the APC from the party’s primary election.
He said, “on OK Chinda where people are asking whether he is qualified or not, the mandatory notice of which a political party can field candidate is that you must submit your membership register to the INEC at least 21 days before the primary election.
“APC conducted its primary election for national assembly aspirants on May 16 and Chinda joined APC on April 27. Counting from April 27 to May 16, you have 19 days, which is less than the mandatory 21 days’ notice.
“This means that all the House of Representatives candidates of APC may not be qualified to run in the election if APC submitted its register after Chinda joined.
“Before Chinda joined, there was a report on April 24 that APC beat the deadline before INEC extended it to May 10. This means that Chinda joined the party after the register has been submitted to INEC.
“My dear Nigerians, it is an obvious fact that Chinda is not qualified to run in the election. Or is APC telling us that they submitted multiple registers to the INEC”?
Enyi’s argument centres on the timing of Chinda’s membership of the APC and the party’s submission of its membership register to INEC.
According to the ADC spokesman, Chinda joined the APC on April 27, while the party held its primary election for National Assembly aspirants on May 16. He calculated the interval between both dates as 19 days, falling short of the 21-day period referenced in the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Electoral Act.
He further claimed that the APC had already submitted its membership register to INEC before Chinda joined the party, citing an April 24 report that the party had met the earlier deadline before INEC extended the deadline to May 10.
The Rivers ADC spokesman therefore questioned whether the APC submitted another membership register to the electoral commission after Chinda became a member of the party.
The development comes amid growing debate over the effect of the Supreme Court’s September 24 judgment on candidates whose party primaries and membership-register submissions may be affected by the requirements of the Electoral Act.
However, the ADC’s position represents an allegation concerning Chinda’s eligibility, and the legal effect of the judgment on his candidacy would ultimately depend on the applicable facts, the relevant electoral records and any determination by the competent authorities or courts.
