A suit seeking the disqualification of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, has been adjourned by a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt to December 10 for hearing.
The suit, filed by Samuel Amatonjie against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kingsley Chinda, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the APC, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Clerk of the National Assembly, challenges Chinda’s eligibility to contest the 2027 governorship election on the platform of the APC.
Speaking with journalists after Wednesday’s court proceedings, counsel to the plaintiff, Samuel Amatonjie, said the suit was instituted to determine whether Chinda properly defected from the PDP to the APC in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution
“We are in court because we feel, in our humble estimation, that Kingsley Chinda ought not to be on the ballot. In other words, he ought not to be the flag-bearer of the All Progressives Congress, considering the fact that we believe that, at all times material to this case, he was a member of the PDP,” he said.
“We still believe that he is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party and not the APC. That is why we filed this suit,” he added m
Amatonjie described the case as a public interest litigation aimed at interpreting relevant constitutional provisions and determining whether Chinda was eligible to contest the 2027 general election under the APC.
Explaining the proceedings, he said the matter was initially scheduled for hearing of the originating summons, but the defendants needed time to respond to the plaintiff’s replies to their preliminary objections and counter-affidavits.
He disclosed that the plaintiff also applied for a subpoena compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Clerk of the National Assembly to produce documents considered relevant to the case.
According to him, the documents sought from the National Assembly include its records of proceedings from April 1 to June 2, 2026.
He said the subpoena directed at INEC seeks the production of a letter dated April 28, 2026, through which the APC notified the commission of its primary election, as well as the party’s membership register submitted alongside the letter.
Amatonjie maintained that the documents were necessary to establish the facts surrounding Chinda’s alleged movement from the PDP to the APC.
The lawyer, however, said he had no personal dispute with Chinda, whom he described as a learned colleague, insisting that the case was about protecting the Constitution and democratic principles.
“You don’t expect Nigerians, public-spirited individuals, to keep quiet and not approach the court for redress. If we don’t do that, these politicians will keep on advancing their territories, and the Constitution will be trampled continuously,” he said.
On his part, counsel to the defendants, Paul Dauda, SAN, said the defence had filed a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit since September 29.
He explained that the response to the objection was only served on the defence on Tuesday, leaving the legal team with the need to study the processes and file its reply.
Dauda said, “I had an objection on jurisdiction, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear this matter, which we had filed since September 29 and served.
“But it was only yesterday that we were served with his response to our objection on jurisdiction. And we were entitled to almost seven days to respond. So we want to take our time, study what he has filed, and then file our response.”
Following submissions by counsel, the trial judge adjourned the matter to December 10 for hearing.