Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has described the defection of the former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda, from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress as politically questionable and procedurally flawed.
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Odinkalu, in posts on his verified X handle, criticised the sequence of events leading to Chinda’s emergence as the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State while he was still serving as Minority Leader of the House on the platform of the PDP.
Chinda, who represents Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency in Rivers State, had emerged as the APC governorship candidate for the 2027 election after winning the party’s primary unopposed.
The APC said he polled 268,497 votes after other aspirants, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, withdrew from the race.
His emergence immediately sparked controversy because he had been the face of the opposition PDP in the House of Representatives and continued to hold the office of Minority Leader at the time.
“For the past three years, my good friend, Kingsley Chinda, has been the face of PDP in the Green Chamber,” Odinkalu wrote.
“There is no record that he has resigned or been removed. As at today, he remains the Minority Leader of Nigeria’s House of Representatives.”
Odinkalu questioned how Chinda could be both the opposition leader in parliament and the governorship candidate of the ruling APC.
“How one man can be both candidate of the ruling party and leader of the opposition in parliament must be one of the miracles of Nigeria’s civil rule under the Tinubu system,” he said.
“This is not politics. It is organised crime.”
The controversy deepened on Tuesday when Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, read a letter during plenary announcing Chinda’s defection from the PDP to the APC.
The letter was, however, dated April 23, 2026, a detail that has generated further scrutiny over the timing of the defection and whether Chinda had continued to occupy the minority leadership position after allegedly leaving the PDP.
Following the announcement, Chinda resigned his position as Minority Leader of the House.
Reacting to the development, Odinkalu accused those involved of backdating the defection letter to legitimise the process.
“Today, the Speaker of @HouseNGR has announced the defection of my good friend, @OKChinda, from @OfficialPDPNig to @OfficialAPCNg.
“It is claimed he also now ceases to be #MinorityLeader of the House. They back-dated the letter of notification to 23 April,” he wrote.
He said Chinda had already been selected as the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State while still holding the office of Minority Leader in the House of Representatives.
“Last month, while still the Minority Leader of the House, Chinda was selected to be the candidate of the ruling @OfficialAPCNg for governorship of Rivers State in #NigeriaDecides2027,” Odinkalu said.
He further suggested that attempts may be made to validate the development through the courts, but insisted that no court order could cure the political and legal questions surrounding the move.
“I am sure they have lined up their #FullyOwned judges to make this look kosher with a suitable court order. But no amount of #CourtWashing can clean this up. It is #OrganizedCrime. Period!” he added.
Chinda, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, emerged as the APC governorship candidate after Governor Fubara stepped down from the race.
His defection and emergence as APC candidate have raised questions about whether a lawmaker can remain in a leadership position reserved for the opposition while pursuing an elective ticket under the ruling party.
The development has also triggered legal action. A suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja is seeking to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising Chinda as the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, on the ground that his defection allegedly failed to follow due process.
With Chinda’s resignation as Minority Leader now announced, the House of Representatives is expected to begin the process of selecting a replacement.
The controversy has added another layer to the political realignments in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly amid growing questions over party loyalty, defections, and the influence of the Wike-backed political structure across party lines.
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