The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order restraining opposition parties in the House of Representatives from removing Hon. Kingsley Chinda as the Minority Leader of the lower chamber.
In an ex parte motion heard on September 22, Justice J.O. Abdulmalik granted an interim injunction directing all parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of a substantive motion filed by Chinda.
“It is my considered firm opinion that, in order to ensure all parties listed in these processes have equal playing ground by virtue of their constitutional rights enshrined in Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and to protect the res sought in the application, it is necessary to restrain all actions pending the hearing of the Motion on Notice,” the court ruled.
The order, issued in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1936/2025, specifically restrains the defendants from:
“Removing the Plaintiff as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives without compliance with due process of law or recognizing any purported removal pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.”
Background
Hon. Kingsley Chinda, a ranking member representing Rivers State, is widely regarded as a close political ally of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
His position has reportedly become the subject of intense political maneuvering within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the broader minority caucus of the House, amid widening divisions in the opposition ranks.
In his supporting affidavit, Chinda alleged that efforts to oust him were politically motivated and rooted in his association with Wike.
“Members of the political parties with minority members in the House of Representatives duly nominated me as Minority Leader, a position I continue to occupy to date,” Chinda stated in his deposition. “The only reason advanced for my planned removal is my association with the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.”
Chinda further argued that the Standing Orders of the House (11th Edition) clearly outline procedures for the removal of any principal officer — procedures he claims have been ignored by those seeking his removal.
He alleged that some PDP lawmakers have been holding clandestine meetings and lobbying other minority parties to remove him before the House reconvenes.
Parties Involved
The National Assembly, Clerk of the National Assembly, House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, and Clerk of the House are all listed as defendants in the suit.
Also joined as respondents are the opposition parties with representation in the House: the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Young Progressives Party (YPP).
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