The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has fixed November 4, 2026, for hearing of a suit challenging the nomination of Rep Kingsley Chinda as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 Rivers Condition election.
The suit was filed by Samuel Amatonjie, against the Free Statewide Electoral Commission (INEC), Chinda, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the APC, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Clerk of the House over the nomination of Chinda as the APC candidate.
Amatonjie is challenging Chinda’s eligibility to have participated in the APC governorship screening and central, arguing that his defection from the PDP to the APC was not completed in accordance together with Element 68 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, ahead of the processes.
During the court proceedings on Wednesday, Amatonjie knowledgeable the court that he had been served alongside processes filed by some of the defendants on September 28 and needed added time to investigation and respond to them.
Subsequent to hearing from the parties, the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Turaki, adjourned the material before November 4 for hearing.
Speaking using journalists once the proceedings, Amatonjie said the suit was instituted as a society resonate to action seeking an interpretation of Portion 68 of the Constitution as it relates to defection by a participant of the Statewide Assembly.
He said the central inquiry ahead of the court was whether Chinda’s defection from the PDP to the APC had been completed by May 9, 2026, when he was screened for the APC governorship principal, and May 21, when he emerged as the party’s governorship candidate.
According to him, Chinda’s resignation and defection letter was not read on the floor of the House of Representatives till June 2, 2026.
He argued that the court would consequently have to establish whether Chinda was constitutionally entitled to contribute in the APC screening and initial ahead of the structured reading of his defection and resignation letter.
Amatonjie, additionally clarified that the suit was not asking the court to create a usual determination on whether Chinda was certified to contest the governorship election.
Recommend to the PDP, Paul Daudu (SAN), said the concern was adjourned to facilitate the plaintiff respond to processes filed by the defendants.
He said: “It was slated for hearing, but the plaintiff asked for adjournment owing to the point that he needed to respond to the processes filed by the initial, second and third defendants. That is essentially what happened,”
Counsel to Chinda, Dike Udenna, moreover confirmed the adjournment, saying the plaintiff had requested time to respond to the preliminary objections and counter-affidavits filed by the defendants.
Source: APC ticket: Court to decide Chinda’s fate November 4
