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In the maternity ward of a public hospital in Bichi Local Government Area, Kano, the electricity flickers and dies as a young woman in labour begins to haemorrhage. Outside, her relatives race between private pharmacies to buy basic supplies, latex gloves, sterile gauze, and intravenous fluids that the state facility lacks.

For hundreds of thousands of Nigerian women every year, childbirth is a terrifying calculus of survival. Despite decades of development pledges and billions of dollars in international aid, Nigeria remains at the centre of the global maternal health crisis. Data from the World Health Organisation and the World Bank show Nigeria accounts for nearly 28.5% of all maternal deaths globally. Roughly one in every four women who die from pregnancy-related complications worldwide is Nigerian.

Every seven minutes, a woman dies in Nigeria from childbirth. The country’s maternal mortality ratio sits at nearly 993 deaths per 100,000 live births. This compares to global averages of 112 and rates below five in high-income nations such as Norway or Japan.

Public health experts summarise the drivers of this crisis through the framework of the ‘Three Delays’:

Delay in seeking care: Cultural norms, widespread poverty, and a lack of financial autonomy for women delay decisions to seek medical help until complications become critical.

Delay in reaching care: Poorly paved rural roads, inadequate emergency transport, and vast distances to primary health centres turn medical emergencies into agonizing journeys.

Delay in receiving care: Upon arriving at clinics, women face understaffed wards, missing essential drugs, a lack of banked blood, and healthcare personnel who demand upfront cash payments before administering life-saving treatment.

In rural regions, particularly across the North East and North West, these delays are multiplied by ongoing insecurity, displacement, and structural poverty.

The human pipeline sustaining Nigeria’s healthcare sector is leaking severely. Driven by inflation, low wages, and poor working conditions, thousands of Nigerian doctors and midwives have emigrated over the past decade to the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Gulf states, a phenomenon locally termed japa. The remaining workforce is dangerously stretched across civilian state facilities and military healthcare systems alike.

‘Nigeria bears one of the highest maternal mortality burdens globally,’ says Akinlose Nelson, a medical doctor with the Nigerian Air Force working on the frontlines of health delivery. ‘A woman should not lose her life while birthing another life.’

This core moral truth is echoed across urban healthcare centres in the south. ‘Childbirth is a natural process that must not take the life of a woman,’ stresses Ahmed Obani, a medical doctor with the Lagos State government.

Yet clinicians emphasise that solving the issue requires confronting a complex web of social drivers across different regions. ‘This is influenced by many factors such as geographical area, religious belief, illiteracy, and poverty,’ explains Akinwale Oyejoko, a medical practitioner with the Ogun State government. ‘The governments of Lagos and Ogun states are doing a good job, but more work is needed.’

Indeed, frontline clinicians face steep structural barriers regardless of setting. ‘We are treating post-partum shock with mobile phone flashlights,’ says one senior registrar at a tertiary hospital in the South-South region. ‘The tragedy is not that we don’t know how to save these women. It is that we lack the basic tools to do it in time.’

The loss of a mother cascades far beyond the delivery room. Studies in sub-Saharan Africa show that infants whose mothers die during childbirth face a significantly higher risk of dying before their first birthday. Older children are frequently pulled from school to assume domestic labour or informal work. In a nation where women perform a staggering portion of informal trade and agricultural labour, maternal mortality actively stifles economic growth and deepens intergenerational poverty.

The Nigerian government has repeatedly launched initiatives to expand primary healthcare coverage and scale up health insurance schemes. Yet implementation remains uneven, hindered by bureaucracy, corruption, and low public spending on health. Spending consistently hovers far below the 15% of national budgets pledged by African leaders in the 2001 Abuja Declaration.

Unlocking progress requires a shift from policy declarations to ground-level delivery:

Funding Primary Health Care: Guaranteeing basic emergency obstetric care and free maternal services at the community level.

Investing in Blood Supply and Logistics: Setting up reliable solar-powered cold chains for drugs like oxytocin and modernising blood bank infrastructure.

Community-Based antenatal models: Expanding group antenatal care programs that train women to monitor indicators like blood pressure and challenge harmful myths around pregnancy nutrition.

Without urgent, sustained investment and political courage, childbirth in Africa’s most populous nation will remain a preventable tragedy played out thousands of times a year in the dark.

Africa Magic Showcase have been airing a documentary celebrating the life and career of veteran actor, Sir Olu Jacobs, following his death on September 16, 2026. Titled ‘Doyen of Nollywood: Celebrating Olu Jacobs’, the documentary is a tribute to one of Nigeria’s most respected actors and enduring figures in the creative industry.

Directed by Femi Odugbemi and produced by Zuri 24 Media, the documentary explores Jacobs’ life and career across theatre, television and film, while reflecting on the impact he made on Nigeria’s entertainment industry over several decades.

The late Olu Jacobs was widely regarded as one of the most influential actors of his generation. His career, which spanned several decades, saw him take on roles across stage and screen, earning recognition for his versatility, depth, and commitment to the craft.

Beyond his performances, he played a significant role in shaping the Nigerian acting industry and inspiring a new generation of actors.

Doyen of Nollywood brings together some of the people who knew and worked with Jacobs, offering personal reflections on his career and the mark he left on the industry.

The documentary features contributions from notable actors and industry figures, including: Joke Silva, Afolabi Adesanya, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Patience Ozokwor, Kate Henshaw and Jahman Anikulapo.

Through their stories and recollections, the documentary offers viewers an opportunity to remember Jacobs not only for the memorable characters he portrayed, but also for the discipline, professionalism and influence that defined his career.

The documentary premiered on Africa Magic Showcase on September 25, 2026 at 6:35 pm, with rebroadcast on September 26 at 10:30 pm; September 28 at 4:30 pm; and September 30 at 2:35 pm.

It will also air across other Africa Magic channels, including Africa Magic Epic, on Sunday, September 27 at 10:05 pm; September 28 at 6:30 pm; September 29 at 1:55 pm; and September 30 at 4:20 pm. On Africa Magic Family on September 26 at 7:30 pm, with repeat broadcasts on September 27 at 5:00 pm and September 29 at 1:00 pm.

The special broadcasts will give audiences across Africa Magic an opportunity to revisit the career of one of Nollywood’s most celebrated veterans and remember his contribution to Nigerian theatre, television and film.

Research journalist and Mariner, Mujahid Al-Ibenu, has called for peaceful protest and greater accountability from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) over what he described as prolonged uncertainty surrounding the implementation of new policies affecting Nigerian Mariners, coupled with the reported disruption of officers’ professional examinations.

Al-Ibenu said the situation has created considerable anxiety among cadets, students officers, and serving officers who have invested years of their lives and substantial financial resources in training and professional certification.

He argued that while regulatory reforms are necessary to strengthen Nigeria’s maritime administration and bring its seafarer-training system in line with international standards, such reforms must not leave candidates who entered the system under previously approved arrangements without a clear and equitable transition.

Of particular concern, according to Al-Ibenu, is the position of candidates who enrolled in the Associate Certificate programme previously introduced under the regulatory framework and offered through NIMASA-approved Maritime Training Institutions (MTIs).

He said many of those candidates committed significant financial resources, time and personal sacrifices on the understanding that they were undertaking a recognised programme through institutions approved to provide maritime education and training.

The question now demanding an unequivocal answer, he said, is what becomes of those candidates if the regulatory position on the Associate Certificate programme changes.

‘Candidates did not create the programme themselves. They enrolled in institutions operating within the framework approved or recognised by the maritime administration. If people paid substantial sums of money, left employment, committed years to training and pursued sea service on the basis of that programme, NIMASA has a responsibility to explain clearly what happens to them,’ Al-Ibenu said.

He called on the Agency to publish a definitive position on the Associate Certificate programme and provide a transparent transition pathway for every affected candidate.

According to him, it would be unacceptable for candidates to bear the consequences of a regulatory transition when they entered their programmes in good faith through institutions authorised to conduct maritime training.

Al-Ibenu maintained that regulatory accountability should extend beyond the introduction of new rules.

‘An agency cannot simply introduce a programme, allow approved institutions to operate it, allow candidates to invest their money and years of their lives in it, and then leave those candidates to determine their fate when the regulatory framework changes,’ he said.

He called for NIMASA to disclose the status of candidates who have already completed or are currently undertaking the Associate Certificate programme, including whether their qualifications will remain valid, whether they will be permitted to progress to the next stage of certification, and whether additional bridging requirements will be imposed.

Where additional requirements are necessary, he said, NIMASA should clearly state the legal and regulatory basis for such requirements and provide reasonable transitional arrangements rather than placing the entire burden on candidates.

His concerns come against the backdrop of significant reforms announced by NIMASA to Nigeria’s seafarer education, training, assessment, examination and certification regime.

NIMASA has announced new standards pursuant to the Merchant Shipping (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) Regulations, 2025, saying the reforms are intended to strengthen compliance with international maritime standards and improve the global competitiveness of Nigerian seafarers.

The Agency has also announced revised curricula and new academic requirements for prospective officers, including arrangements affecting candidates progressing through nautical science and marine engineering.

Al-Ibenu said the reforms should therefore be accompanied by a comprehensive transition policy that answers the questions confronting people already enrolled in the system.

He said the issue is not whether Nigeria should improve its maritime standards but whether the transition will be administered fairly.

‘International standards are important, but so is institutional responsibility. A marina who entered a programme through an approved institution should not wake up one morning to discover that years of investment have become uncertain,’ he said.

The maritime analyst also expressed concern over what he described as the reported abrupt suspension or disruption of officers’ examinations, saying the matter requires an official explanation from NIMASA.

He urged the Agency to provide candidates with a clear examination calendar and explain the circumstances surrounding any suspension, postponement or alteration of examinations.

He further called for clarification regarding candidates who had already completed the prescribed training and sea-service requirements and were preparing for their professional examinations before any changes were introduced.

For Al-Ibenu, uncertainty surrounding professional examinations can have serious consequences for maritime careers.

Seafarers progressing towards officer certification depend on a predictable system of training, sea service, assessment and examination. Delays can affect employment opportunities, contractual commitments, sea-time progression and the ability of candidates to advance towards higher certificates of competency.

He further warned that prolonged regulatory uncertainty should also be considered from the standpoint of the psychological well-being and morale of Nigerian seafarers.

According to him, a law-abiding citizen who has carefully planned his professional life, invested his resources and followed the established regulatory pathway can become deeply frustrated when the process upon which his future depends remains uncertain for an extended period.

‘As officers, we are trained to operate within established procedures, respect authority and comply with the law. But when a law-abiding person has done everything expected of him and is subsequently left in prolonged uncertainty about his career, the effect on morale should not be underestimated,’ Al-Ibenu said.

He said prolonged frustration, anxiety and uncertainty could contribute to serious psychological distress and, in some cases, mental-health challenges, particularly among young people whose professional identity and economic future are tied closely to their progression within the maritime sector.

He cautioned that such consequences could ultimately create problems beyond the maritime industry if affected individuals lose confidence in legitimate professional pathways.

‘When a right-thinking individual becomes frustrated for too long, there is a possibility of a deviation of interest or a loss of confidence in the system. That can create additional problems for society and, ultimately, for the country. This is why we must maintain the rule of law while ensuring that the system itself gives citizens reason to continue believing in lawful and legitimate processes,’ he said.

Al-Ibenu stressed that his position was not against regulatory reform or Nigeria’s pursuit of international maritime standards.

Rather, he said, the human and psychological effects of regulatory implementation should form part of the consideration whenever major changes are introduced.

He said Nigeria must seek a balance between achieving international standards and protecting the morale, confidence and professional stability of the people expected to operate under those standards.

‘While the new regulations are designed to promote international standards and strengthen our maritime sector, the psychological effect of their implementation should also be put into consideration. We are not regulating machines; we are regulating a profession made up of human beings who have families, responsibilities, aspirations and legitimate expectations for their careers,’ he said.

He therefore called for NIMASA to publish a comprehensive transition framework covering existing students, Associate Certificate candidates, cadets, officers awaiting examinations and other seafarers affected by the regulatory changes.

The framework, he said, should identify which candidates are covered by previous arrangements, who is required to undertake bridging courses, what qualifications remain recognised, and the precise pathway through which affected candidates can continue their professional progression.

Al-Ibenu further called for direct engagement between NIMASA, approved MTIs and representatives of affected candidates.

He said such engagement would help prevent misinformation and allow the Agency to hear directly from the people whose professional futures are being affected by the implementation of its policies.

He stressed that accountability must be measurable.

‘If NIMASA approved or recognised institutions to conduct these programmes, then there must be an institutional record of what candidates were admitted to study, what requirements they were given and what certification pathway they were promised. The regulator should therefore be able to explain, with records and not general statements, what happens next,’ he said.

He also urged approved MTIs to provide candidates with full documentation concerning their programmes, including admission records, course requirements, examination status and any correspondence received from NIMASA regarding the transition.

While advocating peaceful protest if the concerns remain unresolved, Al-Ibenu said any demonstration by officers and ratings must remain lawful, orderly and professionally conducted.

He said the objective should not be confrontation for its own sake but to demand transparency, fairness and institutional accountability.

He called on the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, NIMASA, maritime training institutions and other relevant stakeholders to urgently address the concerns.

According to him, Nigeria cannot credibly seek to develop a globally competitive maritime workforce while leaving existing candidates uncertain about whether the qualifications they pursued through approved institutions will be recognised.

He said the responsibility for providing clarity ultimately rests with the regulator.

‘Nigerian seafarers deserve a system in which the rules are clear before they make life-changing investments. Where the rules change, there must be a fair transition. And where an approved programme is discontinued or fundamentally altered, those who relied on it deserve to know exactly what becomes of their investment,’ Al-Ibenu said.

He consequently demanded that NIMASA publicly account for the implementation of its policies, clarify the status of the Associate Certificate programme and affected candidates, publish a transparent examination timetable, and provide a defined transition mechanism for seafarers caught between the previous and current regulatory frameworks.

For Al-Ibenu, the credibility of Nigeria’s maritime regulatory system will ultimately be measured not only by the standards it introduces, but also by how responsibly it treats the people who entered the system in good faith and trusted the regulator to protect the integrity of their professional pathway.

He maintained that the objective should ultimately be to build a regulatory system that commands both international respect and the confidence of Nigerian mariners.

He said Nigeria’s maritime future depends not only on stronger regulations, but on ensuring that those who are expected to uphold those regulations remain confident that the system is fair, predictable and worthy of their trust.

Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, has urged President Bola Tinubu to strengthen and comprehensively review the federal government’s social intervention programmes to cushion the impact of economic hardship on Nigerians.

Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, said interventions targeting youth employment, skills development, cash transfers, school feeding, agriculture and social protection must be properly implemented and monitored to deliver measurable benefits.

‘Such interventions must have clear targets, transparent beneficiary selection, strong monitoring and measurable performance indicators to minimise leakages, duplication and abuse,’ he said.

Oyintiloye also urged the President to strengthen workers’ allowances and welfare packages, arguing that improved incomes would boost purchasing power and stimulate local businesses.

He commended Tinubu for allocating N462.66 billion to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction in the 2026 Appropriation Act, but said the scale of poverty required more effective intervention.

‘Since the intervention programmes are meant to alleviate poverty among the masses, every necessary strategy must be in place to ensure that allocated money has positive impacts on the lives of less privileged Nigerians,’ he said.

Oyintiloye urged Nigerians to remain patient, saying, ‘The hardship Nigerians are presently facing will soon be a thing of the past.’

The management of Ossiomo Power Company has again raised the alarm over the alleged continued vandalism of its facilities in Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

BusinessDay recalls that the company had on several occasions alleged the destruction of its facilities in the locality, with the management putting the value of the damaged and stolen equipment at several hundreds of millions of naira.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Benin City, the management accused youths in the community of being behind the alleged criminal acts.

The company alleged that some youths working for a certain Chinese company trespassed into the private premises of Ossiomo Power Company, where they vandalised and stole equipment from its 33kV electricity lines.

‘The electricity equipment either vandalised or stolen included expensive high-tension wires, cables and conductors worth several millions of naira,’ the company said.

The company alleged that Felix Okotie Otemowo, described as the leader of the gang, claimed when accosted by mobile policemen on guard duty at the power plant that he and his cohorts were acting at the behest of some highly placed individuals, including the Chinese firm and some community leaders.

‘We are also accusing the Edo State Government of giving backing to the Chinese firm and its alleged accomplices to destroy our facilities as well as to continue to occupy our premises,’ the statement alleged.

The statement, however, said the activities of the Chinese firm and the youth of the community were undermining and sabotaging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to providing reliable electricity to Nigerians.

It explained that both the Federal High Court, Abuja, and the Edo State High Court, Benin City, had earlier restrained CCETC and those accused of carrying out the destruction on behalf of the Chinese firm from entering the premises of Ossiomo Power Company.

‘The criminal behaviours of the accused are clear breaches of the orders of both the Federal High Court, Abuja, and the Edo State High Court, Benin City.

‘It is also on record that suspects have on several occasions been invited by the police to answer for a number of criminal charges but they have refused to honour the police invitations,’ the management stated.

The company called on the authorities of the Nigeria Police Force to stop treating the alleged unlawful activities of the accused persons as if they were untouchable, alleging that the seeming inaction of the police had emboldened them to continue behaving like ‘sacred cows.’

It also called for the urgent intervention of Governor Monday Okpebholo to prevail on the community and the Chinese firm to stop the alleged vandalism of its property.

‘Ossiomo Power Company, which is legally established, should be left alone to reconnect its 33kV lines to enable it to resume the supply of electricity to millions of people in Edo State,’ the company said.

It would be recalled that Paul Usenbo, Edo State commissioner for Power, had in an interview with newsmen expressed concern over the inability of the Ossiomo power plant to provide electricity to millions of residents in the state.

‘Every megawatt that is unavailable has an economic consequence.The Government’s position is clear, we want the dispute resolved, the investment protected and electricity restored to consumers, but this must be achieved in accordance with the law.

‘The State Government will continue to facilitate structured negotiations between the parties, without taking sides in a private commercial dispute.

‘The security of critical electricity infrastructure must be guaranteed. No community, individual or private interest should be allowed to vandalise or unlawfully take control of power infrastructure,’ it stated.

The Supreme Court’s decision restoring key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 has reopened a potentially consequential legal front for political parties and candidates preparing for the 2027 general election, particularly those whose nominations, membership status or party primaries could be challenged on grounds of non-compliance with the law.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, a seven-member panel of the apex court allowed the appeal filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the Court of Appeal judgment that had voided Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act. The Supreme Court held that the provisions were not inconsistent with the Constitution and restored the earlier judgment of the Federal High Court.

The ruling is significant because political parties have already conducted most of their primaries for the 2027 election. It means that requirements governing party membership registers and nomination procedures remain legally enforceable as parties move from the primary stage towards the general election.

At the centre of the judgment is the principle that parties cannot freely depart from the membership register submitted to INEC when conducting their primaries, congresses and conventions.

Section 77(5) provides that only members whose names are contained in the register submitted to INEC, at least 21 days before a primary, congress or convention, can vote or be voted for. Section 77(6) requires parties to use that submitted register for the exercise, while Section 77(7) prescribes a serious consequence for failure to submit the register within the stipulated period: the party cannot field a candidate for that election.

The immediate implication is that disputes over who was legitimately a member of a party at the relevant time, which register was used for a primary and whether the statutory deadline was observed could now become central to pre-election litigation.

This could particularly affect politicians who changed parties after their original party registers or primaries had been submitted to INEC, although the legal effect will depend on the specific facts and timing of each case.

The concern is already being raised around candidates produced by political alliances and factions that emerged after the formal party processes.

In Kwara, for instance, the nomination of Saliu Mustapha and other candidates associated with the Bukola Saraki-backed G15 alliance could attract scrutiny if their circumstances involve questions about when they became members of the sponsoring party, when their names entered the relevant register and whether the party complied with the statutory requirements.

Similar questions could arise around candidates produced through the Nyesom Wike-backed Rainbow Coalition in Rivers State and other states where politicians moved across party lines or entered new political arrangements after established party processes.

A new battlefield for 2027 litigation

The ruling could therefore shift the focus of 2027 electoral litigation from the broad question of whether the provisions are constitutional to the more factual question of whether individual parties complied with them.

Already, Nigeria’s elections are characterised by extensive pre-election litigation, with disputes over party membership, primaries, delegates, nomination and substitution frequently reaching the courts.

The restored provisions could add another layer.

Candidates who believe they were unlawfully excluded from a primary could challenge the process. Rival aspirants could question whether the correct membership register was used. Parties could face suits over whether their registers were submitted within the statutory timeframe. And candidates who emerged from disputed or factional processes could face challenges from opponents relying on the restored provisions.

For INEC, the judgment strengthens its statutory role in receiving and maintaining party membership registers and overseeing compliance with electoral requirements. It also gives the commission a clearer statutory basis for applying the consequences prescribed by Section 77(7).

For political parties, however, the ruling is a reminder that internal party processes now carry consequences beyond the parties themselves.

The central question heading into 2027 may therefore no longer simply be who won a party primary, but whether the person was legally entitled to participate in it, whether the correct register was used, whether the nomination method complied with the law and whether the sponsoring party satisfied all statutory requirements.

Ruling stirs confusion in Rivers

Rivers State politics looks completely fractured, and every single political ruling of the Supreme Court causes more fracture and greater confusion in the state, whether the case emanated from the state or not.

The latest ruling is on the electoral timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Rivers State is totally fractured again, with confusion ruling the air.

Many claim the ruling has thrown out Ogundu Kingsley Chinda (OK Chinda), the guber arrowhead of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was believed to have been single-handedly installed from his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) high position of Minority Leader at the National Assembly to pick the APC form and muscle everybody else out, including the sitting governor, to pick the ticket.

Many have quoted parts of the judgment to agree or disagree with Chinda.

What the Supreme Court said

The Supreme Court judgment on INEC’s appeal delivered in September 2026 upheld the appeal by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), setting aside lower rulings and affirming the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7), and 84(2) of the Electoral Act governing party primaries and membership registers.

Appeal outcome

A seven-member panel led by Justice Adamu Jauro upheld INEC’s appeal, overturning previous interpretations that had challenged the commission’s regulatory authority.

· Statutory Validity: The apex court ruled that Sections 77 and 84 of the Electoral Act do not conflict with the 1999 Constitution, validating the statutory requirements surrounding membership registers and candidate nomination methods.

· Dismissal of Opposition Suits: Separate appeals filed by the Youth Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) against INEC’s framework were dismissed by the court.

· Cost Award: The Supreme Court awarded N2 million in costs against the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the primary appeal

The bottom line of the ruling is that INEC had the right to issue deadlines, and they remain valid. By this, parties that obeyed the timetable are protected.

Those who think Ok Chinda is okay with the SC ruling have called attention to the fact that INEC has since published a list of candidates including Chinda’s name. By this, it can only take a court case to remove his name.

A political commentator, Iwor Romgbo, said, ‘For anyone asking whether a published candidate can simply be disqualified, the answer is: not by mere allegations. Under the current electoral framework, a challenge to a candidate’s qualification or emergence through a party primary must be pursued through the appropriate legal process. It is primarily a matter for pre-election litigation by the appropriate aspirant, subject to the specific facts and grounds of the case.

‘So, unless there is a competent court judgment affecting a candidate’s nomination or qualification, a name published by INEC remains on the ballot.

His current status, however, is subject to several ongoing court processes, as reports indicate that while his name has been published, ongoing legal and electoral discussions surrounding party registers and compliance with the Electoral Act have emerged regarding the candidate’s documentation status.

His detractors argue that the Supreme Court Judgment had implications for OK Chinda’s candidacy. One source said: ‘Based on the latest Supreme Court ruling, O.K. Chinda is looking at a disqualification because he supposedly registered as an APC member on April 23, 2026. Sources claim he joined the party a few days after the party had already submitted its membership register to INEC.

‘By the Supreme Court’s recent judgment, O.K. Chinda risks losing his APC governorship ticket should the party’s leadership want to abide by the Supreme Court judgment and if truly he joined APC after the party had submitted its register to INEC.’

Another political commentator said anyone who wants to deceive themselves can go ahead and do so, but if Nigeria were a country of laws, O.K. Chinda’s candidacy of the APC has no legs to stand because it falls short of section 77 subsection 4 of the Electoral Act 2026 signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 18 February 2026.

‘The aforementioned section mandated all parties to submit their membership register not later than 21 days before the commencement of their primaries. It then means that if the APC that conducted its first primaries on Saturday, 16 May 2026, had waited for the last day to submit their register to INEC, they submitted it on April 25 2026, while OK Chinda registered two days later (see his membership slip below dated 27/4/2026). That is to say that OK Chinda’s name was not in the register submitted to INEC.

‘Having realised the mistake he made with that candidacy in a bid to block Governor Fubara from getting the ticket, not with any competent person from RIPCO who were already registered members, but someone from his ethnicity, he ensured that he made two other governorship candidates from his ethnicity, governorship candidates of the PDP and the Labour, should the law catch up with OK Chinda post-election.

‘With that, he came out to tell his supporters that he has not ‘anointed’ any of the candidates, evoking the confusion that has enveloped his supporters, many of whom have stopped posting ‘Rivers will be Ok’, unlike in 2022 when Wike did not make any mistakes and there was no need for pussyfooting, and many of us who believed in him started selling the candidacy of Sim Fubara after he emerged as the Rivers State PDP Governorship Candidate on Thursday, 25 May 2022. That’s it, and that’s all. No saccharine, no sugar, no spice.’

Alwell Ene, another political commentator, said only lawyers can say if Ok Chinda was ok or not because the Supreme Court-endorsed timetable means that Chinda did not meet up the submission date if they are to count from the start of all primaries, but would be ok if they are to start from guber primaries only.

Some others argued that Chinda’s matter may be beyond meeting the submission deadline for the APC register to INEC, but the issue is his proper resignation from the PDP before qualifying to pick up the nomination form from the APC. The source further pointed out that Chinda’s last salary as Minority Leader may be raised to confirm if he left properly because he is being accused of staying on as Minority Leader and also joining the APC within the same material time.

The problem may be that the case would need to be a pre-election case. Only those who contested with him in the primaries can qualify to raise it in court, but where would they get such persons to come to court?

Did the Supreme Court rule on APC factions?

Darlington Nwauju weighs in:

Darlington Nwauju, publicity secretary of the Emeka Beke faction of the APC, responding to inquiries, said the arguments on the ground should not be about Rivers APC executives. It’s about Kingsley Chinda and the rest. ‘And like I said, it will be taken on a case-by-case basis. Some registered before he did, others registered soon after, etc.

‘The SC has reinforced the INEC rules, so all that is required to nail him would be to further prove that between 23 April and the day he participated in the APC primaries, he still had something to do with House Minority leadership.’

On OK Chinda, he said: ‘I don’t know how those who want the court to help them disqualify him can succeed because APC will help him clean up his records and INEC will readily acquiesce. So, I don’t see anything blocking him.’

Many immediately recalled how a Wike aide was exposed for accessing INEC’s backend. Now, they say, it is becoming clear what they went to clean up.

Did the Supreme Court rule on the APC exco matter as rumoured afresh over the two factions and the two court rulings nullifying the Wike-backed Tony Okocha faction?

Nwauju said: ‘I don’t know where they are getting their stories from. After the May 29th Appeal Court decision, which Okocha and his crew lost, they refused to appeal further. So, I don’t know which Supreme Court and who took the matter to the apex court. But such stories will trend because, of course, you know people want to get rid of Wike and his shenanigans.

Conclusion:

Confusion will continue to rule the political waves of Rivers State even if Fubara claims they have reconciled. Many have also claimed that Fubara is saying he would stay on till November 2026 because of his six-month suspension, which they dub unconstitutional. Fubara is in the UN and has not issued any statement on politics.

This shows how much rumours now rule Rivers State, and the level of confusion in the political life of the oil-rich state. These things affect investment confidence and set back the hand of economic development.