2027: ALDRAP PETITIONS INEC OVER CHINDA’S APC RIVERS CANDIDATURE
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By: Fasasi Hammad
The Association of Legislative Drafting Practitioners (ALDRAP) has written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), requesting the disqualification of Kingsley Chinda as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State for the 2027 election.
The request was contained in a letter dated September 26, 2026, and signed by ALDRAP Executive Secretary, Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja.
The letter is connected to a suit pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja, in which ALDRAP is the plaintiff, while INEC, Abdul Mahmud, the APC, its National Chairman, Chinda and Mariana Ajibola are listed as respondents.
In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/972/2026, ALDRAP is challenging the APC’s screening process for its Rivers State governorship and House of Assembly candidates.
The association alleged that the APC Rivers State Governorship and House of Assembly Appeal Committee included individuals who are friends and associates of Chinda and members of the National Assembly.
Among the reliefs sought by ALDRAP is a declaration that the appointment of Mahmud and Ajibola as chairmen of the APC Rivers State House of Assembly screening and appeal committees respectively, despite their alleged political and personal relationships with Chinda and individuals aligned with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, amounted to bias and violated the constitutional right to fair hearing under Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
ALDRAP also asked the court to compel Chinda to appear and testify under oath regarding his alleged political and personal relationships with Mahmud and Ajibola. It further sought an order nullifying the screening exercise conducted by the respondents.
However, in its latest letter to INEC, the association requested that the electoral commission convene an out-of-court meeting involving the parties in a bid to resolve the dispute in light of the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
The Supreme Court, on September 24, 2026, upheld INEC’s appeal and restored provisions of the Electoral Act dealing with political party membership registers and candidate nomination processes. The seven-member panel held that Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 were not inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution.
ALDRAP said the judgment had brought renewed attention to the legal and electoral issues surrounding the APC’s Rivers State governorship nomination.
In the letter addressed to the INEC Chairman, the association said it had previously challenged the participation of Mahmud and Chinda in the APC Rivers State screening process, alleging that their political, professional and personal relationships raised concerns about the impartiality of the exercise.
ALDRAP consequently urged INEC to convene an urgent meeting involving the association, the APC and Chinda to explore an out-of-court settlement and determine the appropriate administrative steps arising from the Supreme Court judgment.
The association stressed that its request was not intended to undermine the Supreme Court’s decision but to facilitate a lawful resolution of the issues raised in the pending proceedings.
Meanwhile, reports on the effect of the Supreme Court judgment on Chinda’s candidacy have been contested. The Rivers State APC has said the ruling did not invalidate Chinda’s candidacy, while legal commentators have offered differing interpretations of the judgment’s implications.
ALDRAP said an early resolution would help prevent further litigation and assist INEC in maintaining clarity and compliance with the Constitution and applicable electoral laws.
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