A fresh legal battle has erupted over the governorship ambition of , with opposing groups sharply divided on whether the Rivers lawmaker validly defected from the (PDP) before securing the governorship ticket of the (APC).
At the heart of the dispute is a constitutional question: whether Chinda lawfully exited the PDP in line with legislative procedure before participating in the APC governorship primary held on May 21, 2026.
The Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, which has instituted a suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja, contends that there is no evidence that the House of Representatives formally acknowledged Chinda’s defection as required by parliamentary convention and constitutional practice.
The group is specifically demanding that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, , produce the official records of plenary proceedings showing that a letter announcing Chinda’s defection to the APC and resignation as Minority Leader was read on the floor of the Green Chamber.
According to the plaintiffs, the absence of such a record raises serious constitutional issues under Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, which regulates the defection of lawmakers from the political parties under which they were elected.
The plaintiffs argued that without formal notification to the House, Chinda’s political transition remains legally questionable, making his participation in the APC primary susceptible to judicial scrutiny.
The suit is also seeking an order restraining the (INEC) from recognising Chinda as the APC governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
But in a direct rebuttal, the Centre for Constitutional Governance and Electoral Integrity (CCGEI) dismissed the claims as speculative and politically motivated, insisting that Chinda had effectively severed ties with the PDP long before participating in the APC governorship process.
The group maintained that the real legal test should not merely be whether a letter was publicly read on the floor of the House, but whether Chinda continued to function politically or administratively as a PDP lawmaker after his alleged resignation from the party.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Ibrahim Danjuma, CCGEI challenged critics to provide any evidence that Chinda attended PDP meetings, represented the party in any official capacity, or acted as Minority Leader after April 2, 2026.
According to the group, Chinda had since withdrawn from all PDP leadership activities and no longer functioned within the party structure before contesting the APC governorship primary.
CCGEI further argued that democratic rights, including freedom of political association, cannot be invalidated on the basis of procedural arguments unsupported by proof of continued allegiance to the PDP.
The organisation described the suit as “a fishing expedition dressed up as constitutional litigation,” insisting that the APC governorship primary was validly conducted and had already produced a lawful candidate.
The disagreement between both sides now turns on two competing legal interpretations — whether legislative defection is completed only after formal parliamentary acknowledgment during plenary, or whether a lawmaker’s practical withdrawal from party activities is sufficient evidence of political realignment.
The case is expected to test the constitutional boundaries of party defection, legislative procedure and candidate eligibility ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Rivers State.
