'We no get issues' - Rivers APC react to Supreme Court judgement on electoral act wey fit affect Kingsley Chinda candidacy

Concerns dey about di candidacy of di All Progressives Congress govnorship candidate for Rivers State, Ogundu Kingsley Chinda sake of di Supreme Court judgement wey restore some provisions of di Electoral Act 2026.

On Thursday, 24 September 2026 Supreme Court rule on di Electoral Act 2026 provisions wey dey govern political party membership registers and di nomination of candidates.

Chinda bin previously dey for di Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) bifor e decamp go di APC wia dem later announce am as di candidate for di 2027 election.

Di seven-member panel wey Justice Adamu Jauro lead set aside di court of appeal judgement wey bin void sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of di Act.

Dis sections concern di statutory requirements wey relate to political parties membership registers, direct primaries or consensus as methods for di nomination of candidates by political parties.

Sake of dis supreme court judgement, one group Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) ask di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) to disqualify Kingsley Chinda as di APC govnorship candidate for Rivers state for di 2027 election.

Di group dey ask Inec to check "di status of di APC govnorship nomination, di applicable membership-register requirements, di records wey bin dey submitted to Inec by di APC, and di appropriate steps wey dey required to give effect to di Supreme Court decision".

Wetin di Supreme Court judgment tok?

Di Zenith Labour Party bin argue for di trial court say di provisions conflict with di 1999 Constitution and amount to unconstitutional interference for internal affairs of political parties.

Di party anchor dia case among odas, on Sections 221 and 222 of di Constitution, wey provide for di constitutional framework wey dey govern political parties.

Afta di Federal High Court dismiss suit, di ZLP appeal and di Court of Appeal on 16 July 16 2026 give judgment wey allow di appeal in part and void provisions of di Electoral Act as e relate to party primaries and membership register.

Dis make INEC to approach di apex court.

Di apex court hold say di provisions no dey consistent with di 1999 Constitution and restore di judgement of di federal high court, wey bin dismiss di constitutional challenge.

While di judgment no automatically invalidate nominations wey already dey concluded, e no dey clear which provisions fit apply to individual candidates and primaries, and leave INEC wit kwesion.

Di provisions require parties to submit membership registers to INEC within di stipulated period and use di registers for dia primaries, while Section 84(2) provide for direct primaries or consensus for di nomination of candidates.

Di apex court decision reverse di July 16 judgment of di Court of Appeal, wey bin declare di disputed provisions unconstitutional.

How dis judgement go affect elections, primaries and membership?

Associate Professor of Public Law for Rivers State Univeristy Ritchard Wokocha explain say di Supreme Court judgement come from case wey challenge di validity of INEC to make regulations and to give timelines wey dey different from di general time wey dey allowed to political parties for di Constitution.

E say wen di Supreme Court say Inec regulations dey valid means say any pesin wey dey participate in election must comply with di regulations wey Inec make and e include regulations as e concern timelines and submission of documents to INEC.

"So di Supreme court uphold say submission of registers of members wey Inec require for dem to participate in di primaries of a political party na necessity. So not to meet any regulations wey Inec make na violation and render any such activity invalid."

"If dem [political party] make any nomination wey no conform wit di regulations of Inec, dat nomination or candidate dey invalid."

Di professor say candidates wey dey defect suppose don defect within di time wey go meet di regulations.

"So if you suppose don defect at least three months or one month bifor di primaries election according to di regulations and you defect less dan dat time frame wey di regulations allow, e make dat defection or candidature invalid becos you no be member of di party at di time dem submit register of party members wey go participate in di primaries."

Dis come mean say candidates wey defect from oda parties after di primary windows closed, go cast uncertainty over certain candidate nominations for upcoming general ballots.

Di ruling don trigger fresh legal debates weda di judgment affect previously concluded primaries or e apply strictly to ongoing and future electoral processes.

How Chinda emerge as AOC Govnor Lagos candidate

Ogundu Kingsley Chinda, na member of di house of representatives and also ally of Nyesom Wike, di minister of di Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers govnor

E bin be di sole aspirant for di Rivers APC govnorship primary and big dey declared winner of di exercise wey hold on May 21, 2026.

Siminalayi Fubara, govnor of Rivers, withdraw from di APC govnorship primary hours bifor di exercise.

But bifor e contest di APC govnorship primary, Chinda bin dey on di platform of di PDP as di lawmaker wey dey represent Obio/Akpor federal constituency of Rivers state.

E bin also be di minority leader of di house of representatives.

Di lawmaker raise controversy afta e appear bifor di APC screening panel days bifor di party govnorship primary, without formally announcing im defection to di ruling party.

Im resignation as minority leader for di national assembly only become public in June 2026.

However, Speaker of di House Tajudeen Abbas, bin say e receive a letter of Chinda resignation as Minority leader for 23 April, 2026 but e no clarify weda Chinda bin don comot from di PDP at dat time.

‘Notin fit shake our candidate’ - Rivers APC

But APC Rivers State say notin fit shake dia candidate for di coming election.

Tok tok pesin for APC Rivers State Chibuike Ikenga tell BBC Pidgin say e no get any challenge to dia govnorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda as dem meet all di grounds as required by di party, di constitution and di electoral acts as amended. So no cause for alarm as a party."

"As far as APC for Rivers State dey concerned, O. K. Chinda no get any encumberances. We dey very qualified and we dey wait di party machinery wey dem dey put togeda for campaigns."

Di APC for Rivers state say dia candidate no dey affected by di judgement of di Supreme Court.

Dem claim say dem no go against any electoral act, so dem no go fear.

E add say, "As far as I know e affect all our candidates positively. We no get any issues. We no get any challenge. OK Chinda no dey affected negatively becos we meet all do grounds as e deh required by di party, di constitution and do electoral act as amended."