The Supreme Court's recent 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, according to public affairs analyst Anyakweh Miracle Amadi, Esq.
Amadi made the clarification during an exclusive interview with Legit.ng over the weekend, responding to public debate about the implications of the Supreme Court's decision for candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Background of the Legal Dispute
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 focused on two key 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 Supreme Court Judgment 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."
No Court Case Challenges Chinda's Emergence
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.
Implications for Other Politicians
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.
