Is Rivers APC Candidate Chinda Disqualified? Top Lawyer Weighs In on Supreme Court Verdict
- A public affairs analyst, Anyakweh Miracle Amadi, Esq., weighed in on what the Supreme Court's ruling on the Electoral Act 2026 means for political parties and their candidates
- The Supreme Court upheld Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, restoring the Federal High Court's earlier position after ZLP challenged key provisions
- The analyst raised questions about whether the judgment affects Kingsley Chinda's standing as the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 elections
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Port Harcourt, Rivers State - A public affairs analyst, Anyakweh Miracle Amadi, Esq., has clarified that the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Electoral Act 2026 does not disqualify Rt Hon. O.K. Chinda as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State.
The clarification followed public debate over what the Supreme Court's decision means for candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Source: Twitter
Amadi stated this during an exclusive chat with Legit.ng over the weekend.
How the Case Reached the Supreme Court
The legal dispute began when the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) challenged certain provisions of the Electoral Act, arguing they interfered with political parties' internal affairs and conflicted with the Constitution.
The contested provisions centred on two areas: the submission of membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the methods by which parties may nominate their candidates under Section 84(2).
The Federal High Court initially dismissed the ZLP's challenge, but the Court of Appeal later ruled partly in the party's favour, voiding some of those provisions. INEC appealed that outcome, and the Supreme Court subsequently overturned the appellate court's decision, restoring the Federal High Court's original position.
What the judgment actually means
By upholding Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, the Supreme Court confirmed that political parties must submit their membership registers to INEC within the period required by law. Only persons whose names appear in the register submitted to INEC are eligible to vote at a party's primaries, congresses or conventions.
A party is also barred from using a different register for those processes, and consequences apply to any party that fails to comply.
Section 84(2), which the court also upheld, preserves direct primaries and consensus as the approved methods for nominating candidates.
Amadi stressed, however, that the ruling did not automatically disqualify any candidate.
"The judgement of the court cannot be held on assumption," he said. "No party's candidate was specifically or generally mentioned in the ruling, and no litigation arising from the APC primary that produced Chinda as the Rivers State governorship candidate has been brought before any court."
The analyst noted that for any candidate already listed by INEC for the 2027 elections to be removed, a separate court action must be filed by an aspirant who participated in the same primary that produced that candidate. No such case exists against Chinda.
Amadi also clarified that questions around party defection, membership of a new party, and eligibility to contest under a different platform are legally distinct matters that were not the core issues decided by the Supreme Court.
"Chinda remains the authentic candidate of the All Progressives Congress Governorship Candidate in Rivers State as no court order or judgement has rendered otherwise," Amadi concluded.
Source: Original
2027: Fresh court battles brew over party primaries
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Supreme Court restored four key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing party membership registers and candidate nominations in a unanimous judgment.
Several high-profile politicians, including ex-IGP Mohammed Adamu and ex-Minister Isa Pantami, may face scrutiny over their nomination processes following the ruling.
Senior lawyers are divided on whether the judgment could affect primaries already concluded ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Source: Legit.ng
