The All Progressives Congress on Thursday declared Kingsley Chinda as its governorship candidate for Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections after other aspirants, including incumbent Governor Siminalayi Fubara, withdrew from the race.
Chinda emerged unopposed in the party’s governorship primary held in Port Harcourt, underscoring the shifting political dynamics within the Rivers APC amid the lingering crisis in the state.
Chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee and returning officer, Bitrus Kwamoti, announced the result at the party secretariat after collation of votes from the 23 local government areas.
Declaring the outcome, Kwamoti said Chinda, the sole aspirant in the exercise, polled 268,497 votes.
“The name of the aspirant, which is the sole aspirant, is Chinda Ogundu Kingsley. He scored a total of 268,497 votes,” he stated.
“Having satisfied the requirements of the APC constitution and guidelines and scored the highest number of votes, Chinda Ogundu Kingsley is hereby declared winner of the primary election and returned elected as the party’s governorship candidate for Rivers State.”
The primary attracted widespread attention following reports of the withdrawal of Governor Fubara and other aspirants amid mounting political realignments linked to the influence of allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, within the APC structure in Rivers State.
Fubara’s withdrawal had fuelled speculations over his political future and the direction of the power struggle that has continued to shape politics in the oil-rich state.
