The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and its governorship candidate, Kieghe Nature Dumale, have approached the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, seeking an order to prevent the All Progressives Congress (APC) from participating in the February 6, 2027, Rivers State governorship election.
The plaintiffs want the court to declare the APC ineligible to nominate a candidate for the election and direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the party and its candidate from the list of eligible contestants.
The suit, marked FHC/PH/CS/193/2026, names INEC as the first defendant and the APC as the second defendant.
It centres on allegations that the ruling party failed to comply with statutory requirements governing the submission of party membership registers before conducting its governorship primary.
The legal action comes amid growing disputes over the eligibility of candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections, following a Supreme Court judgment on provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, relating to party membership registers and candidate nominations.
In an 18-paragraph affidavit filed in support of the case, Dumale alleged that the APC’s nomination process in Rivers State did not satisfy the requirements of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
He argued that INEC should have examined the party’s records and applied the relevant legal provisions before publishing the final list of candidates for the governorship election.
According to the plaintiffs, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on September 24, 2026, in Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, involving INEC and the Zenith Labour Party.
They maintained that the ruling affirmed the validity of the disputed provisions and reinforced the electoral commission’s responsibility to ensure compliance.
The plaintiffs further stated that INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, had announced that the commission would study the judgment and take steps to implement its implications.
However, they accused the commission of failing to apply the same standard to the APC’s Rivers governorship nomination before releasing the final list of candidates.
The affidavit also referred to an October 13 statement in which INEC reportedly said it had applied the Supreme Court’s decision when preparing the final list, excluding parties that failed to comply with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
The PRP and Dumale contend that the APC should have been subjected to the same requirements.
Their central argument concerns the party membership register submitted to INEC before the commencement of its primaries and the subsequent nomination of its governorship candidate, Chinda Kingsley Ogundu.
According to the affidavit, the APC notified INEC by a letter dated April 20, 2026, that its primaries for the 2027 general elections would begin on May 15.
The plaintiffs stated that the party submitted its membership register to the commission on April 20, in line with INEC’s revised timetable and the provisions of the Electoral Act.
They attached the relevant documents to the court processes as exhibits, including the revised timetable and the APC membership register for Ward 3B in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Dumale alleged that the register did not contain the name of Chinda, who was subsequently presented to INEC as the winner of the APC governorship primary held on May 21, 2026.
The plaintiffs argued that the omission raised questions about whether the candidate satisfied the requirements applicable to party membership and nomination.
In his affidavit, Dumale stated that the last person recorded in the APC register for the ward was Ibrahim Haruna, who allegedly registered on February 8, 2026.
He identified the relevant register as Exhibit E and maintained that it was submitted to INEC 21 days before May 15, the date the APC had initially selected for the commencement of its primaries.
The affidavit stated:
“Exhibit E does not contain the name Chinda Kingsley Ogundu, but the 2nd Defendant forwarded the said name to the 1st Defendant as the person who won its primaries, which were conducted on the 21st day of May, 2026.”
The plaintiffs further alleged that Chinda registered as an APC member on April 27, 2026, after the party had submitted the membership register to INEC.
They argued that the timing of the alleged registration and the subsequent nomination should be examined in light of the statutory requirements governing party primaries.
The affidavit also referred to a temporary APC membership slip submitted alongside INEC Form EC9 in Chinda’s nomination documents. The plaintiffs said the slip was included in the court processes as Exhibit F.
They also presented what they described as an extract from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) membership register for Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, marked Exhibit G.
According to Dumale, the document lists Chinda Kingsley Ogundu as a PDP member under number 74917.
The plaintiffs are relying on the documents to argue that the APC’s nomination of Chinda should be assessed against the membership register submitted to INEC before the party’s primary election.
They further questioned why the commission did not exclude the APC from the Rivers governorship contest despite its decision to exclude other political parties following the Supreme Court judgment.
The case is being pursued by the plaintiffs through a legal team led by Dr. Doueyi Fiderikumo.
They are asking the court to grant two principal reliefs.
The first is a declaration that the APC is not eligible to field a governorship candidate in Rivers State for the election scheduled for February 6, 2027.
The second is an order directing INEC to remove the APC and its candidate from the list of political parties eligible to participate in the election.
The court has yet to fix a date for the hearing of the suit. The allegations remain claims made by the plaintiffs, and the filing of the case does not amount to a judicial determination of the APC’s eligibility.