A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has granted functions for subpoenas compelling the Speaker and Clerk of the House of Representatives, in addition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to provide paperwork in a go well with difficult the eligibility of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Kingsley Ogundu Chinda.
The presiding decide, Justice Muhammed Turaki, granted the functions following submissions by the plaintiff, Samuel Amatonjie, a Port Harcourt-based authorized practitioner, who argued that the paperwork have been essential for the willpower of the go well with.
The subpoena in opposition to INEC seeks the manufacturing of the membership registers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and APC submitted to the fee by each political events.
At the proceedings yesterday, counsel to the PDP, Paul Daudu, and counsel to Chinda, Dike Udenna, raised issues over the late service of the plaintiff’s response to their preliminary objection difficult the courtroom’s jurisdiction. They consequently sought time to reply to the counter-affidavit.
After listening to the events, Justice Turaki directed counsel to file and change the mandatory courtroom processes and adjourned the matter till December 10, 2026, for listening to.
Amatonjie instituted the go well with looking for the courtroom’s interpretation of Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, in relation to Chinda’s defection from the PDP to the APC.
Among the questions submitted for willpower is whether or not, upon a mixed interpretation of Sections 177(c) and 68 of the Constitution, Chindavalidly defected from the PDP to the APC earlier than being screened and declared the APC governorship candidate on May 9, 2026.
Other respondents within the go well with embrace INEC, the PDP, APC, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Clerk of the National Assembly.
Speaking with journalists outdoors the courtroom, PDP counsel, Daudu, defined the explanations for looking for an adjournment, citing the necessity for sufficient time to reply to the processes served by the plaintiff.
Also talking, Amatonjie described the go well with as a matter of public curiosity, arguing that it was essential to hunt judicial clarification on constitutional provisions governing political defections.
He mentioned the case was supposed to safeguard constitutional compliance and stop political developments from undermining the provisions of the nation’s supreme legislation.
Blessing Ibunge
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