Rivers 2027: INEC clears Wike’s ally Chinda amid eligibility

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cleared Kingsley Chinda to contest the 2027 governorship election in Rivers State.

Chinda was listed as the fifth candidate among 19 names published by INEC on Saturday.

The former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives was previously a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

His emergence as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Rivers governorship election attracted attention because reports of his defection to the ruling party had not received much publicity.

Chinda’s eligibility, alongside that of some other political figures, came under scrutiny after the Supreme Court restored Sections 77(5), (6), (7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.

The provisions bar political parties from presenting candidates whose names were not included in the membership registers submitted to INEC within the required period.

Despite the concerns surrounding his candidacy, Chinda was included in INEC’s final list of candidates for the 2027 Rivers State governorship election.

Chinda is also known as an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.