Chinda Defection Dispute intensifies as ALDRAP challenges Kingsley Chinda’s APC move and urges INEC to release party records
Lawyers under the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, ALDRAP, have intensified their legal challenge against the defection of House of Representatives member Kingsley Ogundu Chinda from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, describing the move as a “belated defection” and seeking his disqualification from the 2027 Rivers State governorship race.
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The group made the assertion in a statement issued shortly after the announcement of Chinda’s resignation from the PDP and subsequent defection to the APC was read on the floor of the House of Representatives by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas during plenary.
Chinda APC defection dispute has now escalated into a wider legal confrontation, with ALDRAP insisting that procedural and constitutional requirements surrounding the lawmaker’s political switch were not properly followed.
Chinda, who represents Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State, reportedly resigned from the PDP in a letter dated April 23, 2026, with indications that he had joined the APC prior to the party’s governorship primary held on May 21, 2026.
However, ALDRAP argues that the formal announcement of his defection was only made on June 2, 2026, raising questions about the validity of his participation in the APC primary and subsequent emergence as the party’s governorship candidate.
The group further referenced Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution and relevant Supreme Court pronouncements, insisting that a lawful defection must be properly announced on the floor of the legislature by the presiding officer before it can be recognised.
ALDRAP has also filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognising Chinda as the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State.
As part of its legal push, the association has demanded that INEC release the APC membership register for Rivers State as at May 10, 2026, arguing that the records are crucial to its ongoing case.
The lawyers also raised concerns over internal party structures in Rivers APC, citing factional disputes and questioning which leadership platform validated Chinda’s membership and candidacy.
In a letter addressed to INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, ALDRAP described its request as a public interest demand under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, insisting the documentation is necessary for evidence in court.
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The group maintained that the alleged irregularities surrounding Chinda’s defection constitute a serious breach of both electoral and constitutional provisions, calling for urgent scrutiny by relevant authorities.
