The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has fixed November 4, 2026, for the hearing of a suit challenging the nomination of Kingsley Chinda as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 Rivers State election.

The suit, marked FHC/PH/CS/3/2026, was filed by Samuel Amatonjie against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chinda, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the APC, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Clerk of the House.

Amatonjie is challenging Chinda’s eligibility to have participated in the APC governorship screening and primary, arguing that his defection from the PDP to the APC was not completed in accordance with Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, before the processes.

At yesterday’s proceedings, Amatonjie informed the court that he had been served with processes filed by some of the defendants on September 28 and needed additional time to study and respond to them.

After hearing from the parties, the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Turaki, adjourned the matter until November 4 for hearing.

Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, Amatonjie said the suit was instituted as a public interest action seeking an interpretation of Section 68 of the Constitution as it relates to defection by a member of the National Assembly.

He said the central question before the court was whether Chinda’s defection from the PDP to the APC had been completed by May 9, 2026, when he was screened for the APC governorship primary, and May 21, when he emerged as the party’s governorship candidate.

He said that Chinda’s resignation and defection letter was not read on the floor of the House of Representatives until June 2, 2026.

He argued that the court would therefore have to determine whether Chinda was constitutionally entitled to participate in the APC screening and primary before the formal reading of his letter of defection and resignation. Amatonjie, however, clarified that the suit was not asking the court to make a general determination on whether Chinda was qualified to contest the governorship election.

“I am not saying he does not have the right to contest the position of governor in Rivers State. What I am saying, by virtue of the said provision of the Constitution, Section 68, is whether, as at the material time he picked that ticket, his defection from the PDP to APC had crystallised,” he said.