The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda, has resigned from his position and defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, announced Chinda’s resignation and defection during plenary on Tuesday as lawmakers resumed from a four-week recess.

According to a resignation letter addressed to the Speaker, Chinda stepped down as Minority Leader with effect from April 23, 2026, thanking the House leadership and members for the opportunity to serve in the role.

“It has been a profound honour and privilege to serve in this capacity, representing the collective interest of the minority caucus and contributing to the legislative work of the House,” the letter stated.

A close associate of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Chinda recently emerged as the APC governorship candidate for Rivers State after Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Tonye Cole and George Kelly stepped down from the race.