Kingsley Chinda appeared before the All Progressives Congress screening committee on Saturday as the party pressed ahead with its process for the Rivers state governorship primaries. The lawmaker, who represents Obio/Akpor federal constituency in the National Assembly on the Peoples Democratic Party platform, is now at the center of fresh speculation over whether he is preparing to leave the PDP for the ruling party.
Chinda has not publicly confirmed any switch, but his appearance before the APC panel has added weight to the talk around his political future. He is one of two prominent allies of Nyesom Wike who picked up APC governorship nomination forms for the 2027 Rivers governorship election, alongside Dax George-Kelly, the director-general of the Border Communities Development Agency.
The timing has sharpened the interest around the race. On Saturday, the APC began screening incumbent governors ahead of the 2027 general election, while in Rivers the party’s field is already drawing attention from figures with sharply different political profiles. Siminalayi Fubara is listed among the APC governorship aspirants in the state, and Tonye Cole, a former governorship candidate, is also on the list.
George-Kelly’s case adds another layer of uncertainty. Questions have trailed his eligibility to contest while he remains in office, after the presidency, through the office of the secretary to the government of the federation, directed political appointees seeking elective office in 2027 to resign on or before March 30, 2026. That instruction now hangs over his bid, even as the screening process continues.
For Chinda, the political meaning is harder to avoid. A sitting PDP lawmaker being screened by APC officials for the governorship race is not routine, and it has intensified the belief that his presence at the panel was more than a formality. He has not said he is joining the APC, but the appearance has made that the question driving the conversation in Rivers now.
