Rivers APC gov’ship candidate Chinda officially dumps PDP, resigns as House Minority Leader

The House of Representatives on Tuesday witnessed a major political realignment as Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), subsequently stepping down from his leadership position in the lower chamber.

Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, read Chinda’s letter of defection during plenary, officially announcing his departure from the opposition party.

The Rivers State lawmaker, a known ally of Nyesom Wike, recently emerged as the APC governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Rivers State after other aspirants, including Siminalayi Fubara, Tonye Cole and George Kelly, withdrew from the contest.

Although Chinda was the sole contestant, APC members reportedly participated in a confirmation exercise to endorse his candidacy ahead of the governorship election.

The House also recorded several other defections during Tuesday’s sitting. A number of lawmakers from Oyo State, including Anthony Adebayo Adepoju, Adedeji Stanley Olajide, Makanjuola Sunday Ojo, Najimdeen Oyeshina Oyedeji, Folajimi Oyekunle and Abass Adekunle Adigun, left the PDP for the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Similarly, Auwalu Abdu Gwalabe of Bauchi State announced his movement from the PDP to the APM, while Etanabene Benedict of Delta State defected from the Labour Party to the PDP.

Meanwhile, a fresh crisis has erupted within the Rivers State chapter of the APC, as the reinstated party leadership led by Emeka Beke declared all nominations and decisions arising from the party’s recent primaries null and void.

The development followed a judgement of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, which upheld an earlier High Court ruling invalidating the congresses that produced Tony Okocha as chairman of the party in the state.

Reacting to the ruling, spokesman of the Beke-led faction, Darlington Nwauju, said every action taken by the Okocha-led executive between December 20, 2024 and May 29, 2026 lacked legal standing.

According to him, all nominations, communications, decisions and party activities carried out during the period should be regarded as invalid, including the primaries that produced candidates for the 2027 elections.

Nwauju warned that the APC could face consequences similar to those suffered by the party in Zamfara State in previous election cycles if urgent steps are not taken to address the legal implications of the court judgement.

He also called on the party’s National Working Committee to immediately review all primaries conducted under the disputed leadership, arguing that the Court of Appeal’s decision had effectively nullified the congresses from which the executives derived their authority.

The faction further urged the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission to withdraw certificates of return issued to APC candidates produced by the Okocha-led structure during the 2025 local government elections and recognise candidates nominated by the Beke-led executive instead.

The latest developments have deepened uncertainty within the Rivers APC and could trigger fresh legal and political battles over the legitimacy of candidates produced by the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.