Rivers 2027: ‘Supreme Court Ruling Doesn’t Disqualify Chinda’

The Parliament Support Network (PSN) has dismissed calls for the disqualification of Kingsley Chinda, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers state.

It described the campaign against his candidacy as a politically motivated attempt to derail his participation in the 2027 election.

In a statement on Tuesday signed by its National President, Maxwell Idoko, the group said recent attempts to reopen questions around Chinda’s nomination should not be allowed to obscure what it described as the candidate’s compliance with the 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 said the Supreme Court judgment should be applied according to its actual legal effect rather than used as a basis for creating a new dispute over Chinda’s candidacy.

“The attempt to manufacture a disqualification where none has been established is, in our view, a distraction from the substance of the Supreme Court’s decision. Nigerians deserve to see the law applied objectively and consistently, rather than having every political development turned into an excuse to reopen a settled nomination process,” Idoko said.

The group also cited the position of the Rivers APC, which 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.

“The relevant question is not whether some individuals are uncomfortable with Hon. Kingsley Chinda’s emergence, but whether the legal requirements governing his nomination were satisfied. The Rivers APC has stated that he became a member of the party 24 days before the primary, while the applicable requirement is 21 days. That factual position cannot simply be wished away because some interests are demanding his removal from the ballot,” he declared.

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.

“We are concerned that those who are uncomfortable with Hon. Chinda’s rising political profile and those who do not want to see Rivers State make progress are now attempting to manufacture a disqualification narrative around his candidacy. Political disagreements are legitimate, but they should not be converted into legal claims without a solid factual and legal foundation,” Idoko said.

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.

“The electoral process must be protected from unnecessary disruption. If anyone has a genuine legal objection, the appropriate thing is to present the evidence before the competent court rather than attempt to create a disqualification by public pressure. Hon. Chinda’s candidacy should be determined by the law and the established electoral process,” Idoko said.