Rivers APC Governorship Ticket: Lawsuit Against Kingsley Chinda Called Baseless and Politically Motivated

A civic advocacy group, the Centre for Constitutional Governance and Electoral Integrity (CCGEI), has come to the defence of Kingsley Chinda, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, insisting that the legal suit questioning his eligibility lacks merit.

In a statement released on Thursday, the organisation’s Executive Director, Ibrahim Danjuma, said Chinda had already resigned as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives before he entered the APC governorship race, thereby ending any official role he held with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

CCGEI challenged critics to produce concrete evidence that Chinda continued to act as a PDP official after 2 April 2026. The group demanded proof such as attendance at PDP meetings, representation of the party, or any statement issued in his capacity as minority leader after that date.

The advocacy group argued that no such evidence exists because Chinda had fully withdrawn from PDP leadership activities. Since April 2, he has not presided over any PDP caucus, attended party events, or functioned in any official capacity for the party.

According to CCGEI, the APC governorship primary was conducted properly and concluded with Chinda emerging as the duly nominated candidate. The group described the lawsuit as a baseless, speculative, and politically motivated attempt to overturn the outcome of a legitimate political process.

The organisation further warned that the suit amounts to an abuse of judicial process, aimed at sowing confusion over a settled electoral exercise. It urged the court to dismiss what it called “a fishing expedition dressed up as constitutional litigation.”

CCGEI reminded the public that freedom of political association and democratic participation are constitutionally protected rights, and that legally unsupported actions motivated by partisanship should not be allowed to undermine those freedoms.