Curiously, the letter of defection which was read by the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, during plenary on Tuesday was dated April 23.
The announcement confirmed that Chinda, a prominent ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had relinquished both his PDP membership and his role as leader of the opposition caucus in the House.
The development comes months after the Rivers lawmaker participated in the APC governorship primary election in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 elections, sparking debate about whether he could continue to hold the minority leadership position after leaving the party that nominated him.
In the letter, the lawmaker expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve in the leadership of the House.
“I formally tender my resignation from the position of Minority Leader of the House of Representatives with effect from the 23rd day of April 2026,” Chinda wrote.
“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.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to evolve under your leadership and alongside distinguished colleagues in advancing democratic governance and national development.
“I remain fully committed to my duties as a member of the House. I will continue to support the work of the legislature in every way possible.”
Although the resignation was formally announced on Tuesday, Chinda was absent from the plenary session when Speaker Abbas informed lawmakers of the development.
The resignation settles a controversy that had trailed the lawmaker’s participation in the APC governorship primary without a public declaration of his exit from the PDP on the floor of the House before the chamber proceeded on recess.
Earlier reports had indicated that Chinda had resigned from the PDP before purchasing the APC governorship nomination form and contesting in the party’s primary election.
The situation generated widespread debate within political and legislative circles because Chinda occupied one of the principal opposition leadership positions in the National Assembly.
Questions were raised over whether he could legally and ethically continue to serve as Minority Leader after abandoning the party under whose platform he was nominated for the office.
Responding to the controversy before the House resumed, House spokesperson Akin Rotimi defended the process, insisting that Chinda had properly notified the House leadership of his resignation.
“Chinda actually sent his resignation. The leadership of the House and the office of the Speaker duly received that letter. The House has been on recess since,” Rotimi said.
He argued that there is no constitutional or statutory requirement mandating that such resignation letters must be read during plenary.
“It is not a constitutional provision, it is not a provision of the Electoral Act, and it is not in the House rules that it is compulsory that a resignation letter from a party should be read on the floor,” he said.
Rotimi further explained that resignation from a political party is essentially an internal party matter handled at the ward and local government levels.
The spokesperson also maintained that concerns about whether Chinda improperly retained the office of Minority Leader could only be fully addressed once the House resumed from recess.
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