Court Dismisses Suit Challenging Jonathan’s Eligibility for 2027 Presidential Election
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the plaintiff, JohnMary Jideobi, lacked the legal standing to institute the case, stating that he failed to prove how he had suffered any personal harm or injury from Jonathan’s perceived intention to contest the election.
The court also imposed financial penalties on the plaintiff, awarding a ₦20 million fine in favour of the former president and an additional ₦1 million against him in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, Jideobi had asked the court to declare Jonathan ineligible to participate in the 2027 presidential poll. The plaintiff argued that Jonathan had already exhausted the constitutional two-term limit for presidents, having first completed the tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua following his death in 2010 before later winning the 2011 presidential election for a full four-year term.
Jideobi further urged the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a candidate in the 2027 election or any future presidential contest.
However, Justice Lifu held that previous judgments delivered by both a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal had already settled the issue regarding Jonathan’s eligibility to contest future elections. According to the judge, those decisions remain valid and binding, leaving the Abuja court with no reason to depart from them.
The judge described the suit as an abuse of court process and also dismissed an application filed by the plaintiff seeking his recusal from the matter, describing the request as frivolous and lacking merit.
The ruling is expected to further fuel political discussions surrounding Jonathan’s possible return to active presidential politics ahead of the 2027 general elections, although the former president has yet to publicly declare any intention to contest.