PREPARING FOR THE BRICK HOUSE
Kingsley Chinda has what it takes to govern Rivers State, argues CALEB EKESUNNIE
Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, member of the House of Representatives, representing Obio/ Akpor Federal Constituency, Rivers State, emerged a few months ago as the Rivers State gubernatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 general elections. He is the immediate past Minority Leader of the current 10th House of Representatives.
He has used his over a decade and half stints in the National Assembly to demonstrate his preparedness to occupy the Rivers Brick House in a remarkable manner. As minority leader of the House, he showed his leadership dexterities to the admiration of his colleagues by introducing a brand of opposition leadership style largely innovative, moderate and strategic.
Accordingly, Chinda provided an alternative legislative governance model that is inherently consultative and as a result boosted the bargaining power of members of the opposition in the House. This creative leadership paradigms distinguished him exceedingly.
He remains one of the most outspoken members of the House. Chinda always finds his voice on the floor of the House and is one of the notable lawmakers who have contributed immensely in reshaping National Assembly as an institution in a considerable manner.
Besides his exceptional leadership style, Chinda has demonstrated unmatched legislative results. These productive legislative years at the National Assembly obviously accounted for his chain of re-elections into the legislative House.
His legislative governance abilities and prowess in the areas of parliamentary debates, processes, oversight functions, motions and bills pursuits are uncommon. This legislative record underlines Chinda as one of the foremost Nigerian parliamentarians.
Over the years in NASS, Chinda has chaired the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives and served as leader of the opposition before he decamped to the ruling APC.
The vast experience he has obtained from legislative stewardship would be the gain of his Rivers people when elected as Governor.
Balanced, visionary and forthright, Chinda is known for his collegial, consensual and positive approach to governance. As a team player he would enlist the buy-in of a wide spectrum of Rivers people to fast-pace the state development when elected.
As a leading parliamentarian, Chinda has imbibed legislative principles of collectivity, consensus and compromise. He would obviously bring these democratic virtues to fore when he takes charge at the Brick House.
When elected, Chinda would prove to Rivers people that a robust background in the legislature is indispensable to drive state development. Chinda would certainly break barriers, dismantle bureaucracy and its hurdles and delays to put infrastructure in place in the state. He would not spend his first hundred days wrestling with structural gridlock, fighting with the members of the state legislature. He has enough experience to tame the initial challenges.
As a legislator, Chinda has for years watched endless brilliant ideas die in legislative committees, unutilized due to institutional wrangling to the detriment of the people; when he becomes Governor such ideas would be brought to front burner to form part of the state development plan for the benefits of Rivers people, relying on his vast experience in the executive/legislative relationship management.
In bringing this time-honed legislative knowledge to bear on state responsibilities and imperatives, he would not just build roads and fund social services, Chinda would drive statutory architecture and monuments that would endure and outlive his administration. This would be achieved through the enactment of state laws that would be best focused on state needs assessment and reform development strategy.
When elected, Chinda would treat every major development initiative and goal as permanent piece of policy tightly engineered to anchor and sustain executive strategy in the overall interest of Rivers people.
Chinda is not new to the dynamics and workings of the executive arm of government; he had been a Commissioner for Environment in Rivers State when he effectively used state-level authority to regulate what was within the legal jurisdiction of the federal government by implementing actionable state environmental laws as pertained to waste generation and management of local, municipal and industrial pollution. He brought sanity to continuous gas flaring and emissions through the enforcement of strict compliance with environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for state-level infrastructure works through litigation, formal petitions, regulations and above all sustained citizen enlightenment and sensitisation.
His executive and legislative backgrounds would accordingly stimulate him to run an administration the executive and legislature would operate harmoniously to guarantee a formidable and stabilized government
It is worthy to note that he is an astute lawyer, a human and civil rights advocate with a bias in public interest advocacy committed to fighting against systemic injustice and for the oppressed communities. He provides voice to the voiceless, indigents, improvised and marginalized individuals. Chinda has over the years been collaborating with non- profit organizations and charity homes as well as environmental rights’ groups and a host of others to achieve his pursuits for social justice and civil liberties.
With his vast experience in governance, legislative responsibilities and civil society sector, Rt Hon Kingsley Chinda is indeed most fitting to serve and save Rivers State today. He represents Rivers brand and pearl. The votes of Rivers people for him would strengthen his resolve to bring unprecedented and positive change to the oil rich state.
Caleb is Chief Press secretary to Rt. Hon. Ogundu Kingsley Chinda, member representing Obio/Akpor federal constituency
