Chinda Clinches Rivers APC Gov Ticket After Dramatic Withdrawals

PORT HARCOURT – In a dramatic political realignment that has fundamentally reshaped the landscape of Rivers State politics, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ogundu Kingsley Chinda, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Congress Progressives (APC) for the 2027 gubernatorial election.

​Chinda, a staunch ally of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, secured the ticket as a sole candidate following a sudden, eleventh-hour withdrawal of all other prominent clearing contenders on Wednesday night.

​The Road to an Unopposed Victory

​Announcing the official results of the primary election on Thursday, the Chairman of the APC State Governorship Primary Committee, Kwamoti Bitrus, declared that Chinda polled 268,497 votes in a statewide affirmation exercise.

​”The figure represents a true and accurate record of the votes collated across the state during the exercise,” Bitrus stated, confirming that the process complied fully with the APC constitution and guidelines. “The exercise was free, fair, and orderly.”

​Chinda’s smooth sail to victory followed a massive political shift the night before the primaries, which saw three heavyweight aspirants pull out of the race. The withdrawing contestants included:

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• ​Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the incumbent Governor of Rivers State
• ​Tonye Cole, billionaire businessman and former APC gubernatorial candidate
• ​Alabo Dakorinama George-Kelly, former regional commissioner

​A Seismic Realignment in Rivers Politics

​Chinda’s emergence marks an extraordinary shift in the state’s ongoing political feud. Currently representing the Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, Chinda was originally elected into the Green Chamber under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). His transition to standard-bearer for the APC signals the completion of a major structural realignment orchestrated by the FCT Minister’s political camp.

​Just days prior to the primary, Wike had publicly hinted at a looming “strategic political realignment” within Rivers State. The subsequent mass disqualification of pro-Fubara legislative aspirants, followed by the sudden withdrawal of the governor himself from the APC primary process, underscores the deepening power struggle over the control of the state’s political machinery.

​APC Declares a “Recalibrated” Party

​Reacting to the landslide affirmation, the Rivers State APC Publicity Secretary, Chibike Ikenga, stated that the party has undergone a thorough “recalibration and reorganization” to position itself for absolute victory in 2027.

​”The party has gotten a candidate that will unify and drive development in the state,” Ikenga said. “The candidacy of Chinda shows that APC has been thoroughly reorganized.”

​Echoing this sentiment, prominent party chieftain Chief Felix Obuah described Chinda as a dependable and trusted administrator capable of breaking ethnic barriers.

​With Chinda officially holding the APC ticket, the stage is set for a highly contentious and transformed battle for the Brick House, as the opposition transitions into a formidable Wike-backed political force.