A major political shake-up occurred in the House of Representatives on Tuesday as Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), prompting his resignation from the minority leadership position.
The announcement was made during plenary when Speaker Abbas Tajudeen read Chinda's letter notifying the House of his decision to leave the opposition party.
Chinda's defection comes amid heightened political activity in Rivers State, where he recently emerged as the APC's governorship candidate for the 2027 election. The lawmaker, who is widely regarded as an ally of Nyesom Wike, secured the party's ticket after other aspirants, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, reportedly withdrew from the race.
As the sole contender, Chinda's candidacy was ratified through an affirmation process attended by party members across the state.
Tuesday's plenary also witnessed a wave of defections involving lawmakers from different political parties. Several members from Oyo State abandoned the PDP for the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), while a lawmaker from Delta State moved from the Labour Party to the PDP.
The defections further altered the political composition of the House at a time when parties are intensifying preparations for the 2027 general elections.
However, Chinda's emergence as APC governorship candidate may face fresh uncertainty following a renewed leadership dispute within the Rivers State chapter of the party.
The faction of the APC led by Emeka Beke has declared invalid all nominations and decisions arising from primaries conducted under the leadership of Tony Okocha.
The declaration followed a Court of Appeal judgement in Port Harcourt which upheld an earlier ruling nullifying the congresses that produced Okocha's executive.
In a statement, APC spokesman Darlington Nwauju argued that the court decision rendered all actions taken by the disputed executive ineffective, including candidate nominations and communications issued on behalf of the party.
He maintained that the judgement had far-reaching implications for the party's activities in Rivers State and urged the APC's national leadership to urgently review all primaries conducted under the contested structure.
Nwauju also called for the reversal of certificates of return issued to candidates elected under the platform of the Okocha-led faction during the state's local government elections, insisting that only candidates recognised by the Beke-led executive should be acknowledged.
The latest developments have set the stage for another round of legal and political battles within the Rivers APC, raising questions about the status of candidates produced by the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
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