The Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed that former President Goodluck Jonathan remains legally eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, the court held that there are no legal impediments preventing the former president from seeking a return to office, noting that the issue of his eligibility had already been settled by the Court of Appeal.

Dismissal of the Suit 

Justice Lifu dismissed the lawsuit against Jonathan, characterizing it as frivolous and an abuse of the court process. The court ruled that the plaintiff, an Abuja-based legal practitioner named Mr. Jideobi Johnmary, lacked the locus standi (legal standing) to institute the action.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, challenged Jonathan’s eligibility on the grounds that he had already been sworn in as president on two previous occasions. The plaintiff had presented a single question for judicial determination:

“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?”

Reliefs Sought by the Plaintiff

Had the court ruled in his favor, the plaintiff sought several reliefs, including:

• A perpetual injunction restraining Goodluck Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a presidential candidate for the 2027 elections or any future polls.

• A perpetual injunction restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a candidate.

• A directive ordering the Attorney-General of the Federation to ensure compliance with the court’s restrictions.

Arguments on Constitutional Limits

In an affidavit of facts supporting the suit, deposed by Emmanuel Agida, the plaintiff argued that a 2027 victory would allow Jonathan to serve a four-year term until 2031. The plaintiff contended that this would breach the statutory cumulative maximum of eight years in office for a Nigerian president.

The affidavit stated that since Jonathan completed the unexpired term of the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and subsequently served a full four-year term following the 2011 election, he had exhausted his constitutional limit. The plaintiff further argued that allowing Jonathan to run would lead to him taking the presidential oath of office for an unprecedented third time, thereby breaching the 1999 Constitution.

However, with the Federal High Court striking down the suit, the legal pathway remains clear for the former president ahead of the 2027 political cycle.