Court clears Jonathan to contest 2027 presidential election

Former President Goodluck Jonathan is eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election, a Federal High Court in Abuja ruled on Tuesday, dismissing a suit that sought to bar him from returning to office on constitutional grounds.

Justice Peter Lifu held that there was no legal basis preventing Jonathan from seeking another term, saying the issue had already been settled by both a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal.

“The issue of the 1st defendant’s eligibility has already been decided by the Court of Appeal,” Lifu said in the ruling.

The judge dismissed the suit filed by Abuja-based lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, who argued that Jonathan would breach the constitutional two-term limit if elected president again in 2027 after previously completing the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s term and later serving a full four-year tenure following the 2011 election.

Jideobi had asked the court to determine “whether in view of the combined provisions” of the constitution, Jonathan remained eligible “under any circumstances whatsoever” to contest for president again.

The plaintiff also sought an order restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party for nomination, as well as an injunction barring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or publishing his name as a candidate.

But Lifu ruled that the lawyer lacked the legal standing to institute the case because he failed to demonstrate any personal injury or loss arising from Jonathan’s potential candidacy.

“The plaintiff lacked the locus standi to institute the action,” the judge held.

Lifu further described the suit as “an abuse of court process” and dismissed a separate application seeking his withdrawal from the matter, calling the motion frivolous.

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The court also imposed financial penalties on the plaintiff, awarding N20 million in damages in favour of Jonathan and an additional N1 million in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

The ruling is likely to intensify political speculation over Jonathan’s possible return to frontline politics ahead of the 2027 elections, although the former president has yet to publicly declare any intention to run.

Jonathan, who served as president between 2010 and 2015, assumed office following the death of Yar’Adua before winning a fresh mandate in the 2011 election. He lost his re-election bid in 2015 to former President Muhammadu Buhari, becoming Nigeria’s first incumbent president to concede electoral defeat.

Political interest in Jonathan’s potential comeback has grown in recent weeks after a faction of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki reportedly offered him a waiver to emerge as the party’s sole presidential candidate.

In an affidavit supporting the suit, the plaintiff argued that allowing Jonathan to contest again would violate constitutional term limits because a successful bid in 2027 would amount to a third presidential oath of office.

“In the event the 1st defendant is returned as elected and sworn as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2027, it will mark the 3rd time the 1st defendant will be taking the oath of office,” the affidavit stated.

However, Lifu said lower courts were bound by the appellate court’s earlier interpretation of Jonathan’s eligibility.
“The court is bound by the decision of the appellate court,” the judge said.

The judgment marks the clearest judicial affirmation yet that Jonathan remains constitutionally qualified to seek Nigeria’s highest office again, potentially reshaping calculations within opposition political circles ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested 2027 race.