The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ruled that former President Goodluck Jonathan remains eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Delivering judgment in the matter, Justice Peter Lifu held that there was no constitutional or legal barrier preventing Jonathan from seeking a return to the presidency.
The court further stated that the issue surrounding Jonathan’s eligibility had already been settled by the Court of Appeal.
Justice Lifu subsequently dismissed the suit filed against the former president by Abuja-based legal practitioner, Jideobi Johnmary, describing the action as frivolous and an abuse of court process.
According to the court, the plaintiff lacked the necessary locus standi, meaning the legal right required to institute the action before the court.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, challenged Jonathan’s eligibility to contest the presidency on the grounds that he had already taken the oath of office as president on two different occasions.
In the suit, the plaintiff asked the court to determine:
“Whether in view of the combined provisions of the entirety of Sections 1(1), (2) & (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and their conflated interpretation, is the 1st Defendant eligible, under any circumstances whatsoever, to contest for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?”
Following the legal question raised, the plaintiff sought several reliefs from the court, including a perpetual injunction restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party for nomination as a presidential candidate in the 2027 general election and future elections.
The suit also requested an order preventing the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a candidate in any future presidential election.
Additionally, the plaintiff sought an order directing the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to ensure compliance with the court’s decisions.
In an affidavit supporting the suit, deposed to by one Emmanuel Agida, the plaintiff argued that if Jonathan were elected president in 2027 and served another four-year term ending in 2031, he would exceed the constitutional maximum period allowed for a Nigerian president.
The affidavit maintained that Jonathan had already completed the remaining tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua before later serving a full term after winning the 2011 presidential election.
“The plaintiff believes that the 1st defendant, having completed the unexpired term of late President Yar’Adua and subsequently served a full term after the 2011 election, has exhausted the constitutional limit of two tenures as president,” part of the affidavit stated.
The plaintiff further argued that if the court failed to intervene, a political party might nominate Jonathan for the 2027 election, which he claimed would amount to a constitutional breach.
He also contended that if Jonathan were sworn in again after the 2027 election, it would represent the third time he would take the presidential oath of office.
However, the Federal High Court rejected the arguments and upheld Jonathan’s eligibility to participate in the presidential race should he choose to contest.
The judgment is expected to reignite political discussions surrounding the possibility of Jonathan’s return to active presidential politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.
