By Daily Review Online
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday affirmed the eligibility of former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election, dismissing a suit seeking to stop him from joining the race.
Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu held that the case instituted by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi lacked merit and amounted to an abuse of court process.
The court upheld an earlier N20 million fine imposed on the plaintiff and further awarded an additional N1 million cost in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Justice Lifu ruled that the plaintiff lacked the legal standing to file the suit since he failed to show how he suffered any personal injury or loss arising from Jonathan’s perceived interest in the 2027 election.
The judge also noted that both a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal had previously determined that Jonathan remained constitutionally qualified to seek the presidency again.
According to the court, those earlier judgments were binding, making it impossible for the Abuja court to depart from the established legal position.
Describing the suit as frivolous, Justice Lifu dismissed it in its entirety.
Background
Jonathan served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015 after completing the tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua following his death in office. He later won a full four-year term in the 2011 presidential election before losing to former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
Debates over Jonathan’s eligibility for another presidential bid have persisted for years, particularly after the 2018 constitutional amendment that bars a vice president who completes another president’s term and subsequently wins election from exceeding eight years in office.
However, courts have repeatedly ruled that the amendment cannot be applied retroactively to Jonathan, whose tenure predated the constitutional change.