Rt. Hon. Kingsley Ogundu Chinda current member of the House of Representatives, representing Obio/ Akpor Federal Constituency, Rivers State has been in the news lately for good reasons. He emerged a few months ago as the Rivers State gubernatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 general elections . He is the immediate past Minority Leader of the current 10th House of Representatives.

He has used his over a decade and half stints in the National Assembly to demonstrate his preparedness to occupy the Rivers Brick House in a remarkable manner. As minority leader of the House, he showed his leadership dexterities to the admiration of his colleagues by introducing a brand of opposition leadership style that was largely innovative, moderate and strategic.

Accordingly, Chinda provided an alternative legislative governance model that is inherently harmonious as a result boosted the bargaining power of members of the opposition in the House. This creative leadership paradigm distinguished him so exceedingly in the House

He remains one of the most outspoken members of the House. Chinda always finds his voice on the floor of the House and is one of the notable lawmakers who have contributed immensely in reshaping National Assembly as an institution in a considerable manner

Besides his exceptional leadership style, since 2011 he has been in the House Chinda has demonstrated unmatched legislative results. These productive legislative years at the National Assembly obviously accounted for his chain of re-elections into the legislative house

His legislative governance abilities and prowess in the areas of parliamentary debates, processes, oversight functions , motions and Bills pursuits are uncommon. This legislative record underlines Chinda as one of the foremost Nigerian parliamentarians

Over the years in NASS, Chinda has chaired the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives and served as leader of the opposition before he decamped to the ruling APC.

The vast experience he has obtained from legislative stewardship would be the gain of his Rivers people when elected and accordingly sworn in as Governor

Balanced, visionary and forthright, Chinda is known for his collegial, consensual and positive approach to governance. As a team player, he would enlist the buy-in of a wide spectrum of Rivers people to fast- pace the state’s development when elected.

As a leading parliamentarian, Chinda has imbibed legislative principles of collectivity, consensus and compromise. He would obviously bring these democratic virtues to the fore when he takes charge at the Brick House.

When elected and sworn in, Chinda would prove to Rivers people that a robust background in the legislature is indispensable to drive state development. Chinda would certainly break barriers, dismantle bureaucracy and its hurdles and delays to put infrastructure in place in the state

Chinda would not spend his first hundred days wrestling with structural gridlock, fighting with the members of the state legislature. He has enough experience to tame the initial challenges

As a legislator, Chinda has for years watched endless brilliant ideas die in legislative committees, unutilized due to institutional wrangling to the detriment of the people; when he becomes Governor, such ideas would be brought to fore for utilization for the benefit of Rivers people, having groomed on executive/legislative relationship management over time.

In bringing this time-honed legislative experience to bear on state responsibilities and imperatives, he would not just build roads and fund social services; he would orchestrate and build statutory architecture that endures and outlives his administration. This would be achieved through the introduction of state laws that would be best focused on needs assessment and reform development strategy.

When elected, Chinda would treat every major development initiative and goal as a permanent piece of policy tightly engineered to anchor and sustain executive strategy in the overall interest of Rivers people.

Honourable Chinda is not new to the dynamics and workings of the executive arm of government; he had been a Commissioner for Environment where he effectively used state-level authority to regulate what was within the legal jurisdiction of the federal government by implementing actionable state environmental laws as it partains to waste generation and management of local and industrial pollution by forcing the bounds of federal actors with regards to continuous gas flaring and emissions, enforcement of strict compliance with environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for state-level infrastructure works through litigation, formal petitions, regulations and above all sustained citizen enlightenment and sensitisation.

He would therefore be symbolic of converging executive and legislative action, a melting-pot of a formidable experience of both the executive and legislative arms of government.

It is worthy to note that he is an astute lawyer, a human and civil rights advocate with a bias in public interest advocacy committed to fighting systemic injustice and underserved communities, giving voice to the voiceless, indigents and individuals living in poverty, marginalised or minority communities, non- profit organizations and charities as well as environmental rights’ groups and a host of others.

With his vast experience in governance, legislative responsibilities and civil society sector, Rt Hon Kingsley Chinda is indeed most fitting to serve and save Rivers State today. He represents Rivers brand and pearl. The votes of Rivers people for him would strengthen his resolve to bring unprecedented and positive change to the oil-rich state.

By Caleb Ekesunnie

Ekesunnie Caleb is Chief Press Secretary to Rt. Hon. Ogundu Kingsley Chinda, member representing Obio/Akpor federal constituency.