Court Set To Decide Goodluck Jonathan’s Fate In 2027 Presidential Bid Suit

A Federal High Court in Abuja is scheduled to hear, on Friday, a suit seeking to halt former President Goodluck Jonathan from participating in the 2027 presidential election.

According to Ireporter Online, the legal action was instituted by a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, who is asking the court to declare Jonathan constitutionally ineligible to contest for the presidency again. The plaintiff is also seeking an order restraining Jonathan from offering himself as a candidate under any political party, as well as a directive preventing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or publishing his name as a presidential candidate.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, lists Jonathan as the first defendant, while INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation are joined as second and third defendants respectively. On April 28, Justice Peter Lifu ordered that hearing notices be served on all parties, noting that the defendants had yet to respond to the suit.

At the centre of the case is a constitutional interpretation request asking whether Jonathan remains eligible to contest under sections 1(1), (2), and (3), as well as 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution. The plaintiff argued that Jonathan has already served the maximum allowable tenure, having completed the term of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua following his death in 2010 and later serving a full elected term after the 2011 general election.

In an affidavit deposed by Emmanuel Agida on behalf of the plaintiff, it was stated that Jonathan was sworn in as president on May 6, 2010, and subsequently elected in 2011, thereby exhausting the constitutional limit of two terms. The affidavit further warned that allowing Jonathan to contest and potentially win in 2027 would amount to a third oath of office, which the plaintiff described as unconstitutional.

The plaintiff maintained that the suit was brought in the public interest to uphold constitutional supremacy, preserve the rule of law, and prevent any breach of Nigeria’s constitutional order.