A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday declared former President Goodluck Jonathan eligible to participate in the 2027 presidential election.
Delivering judgment in a suit filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, the presiding judge, Peter Lifu, held that Jonathan could contest the election.
Jideobi had approached the court seeking an order restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The plaintiff also sought to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting, processing, or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.
The court was asked to determine whether, having regard to Sections 1(1), (2), (3), and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, Jonathan remained eligible to seek the office of president again.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, argued that Jonathan was no longer qualified to contest the presidency, having already been sworn in as president on two occasions.
In an affidavit deposed to by Emmanuel Agida in support of the suit, the plaintiff maintained that if Jonathan wins the 2027 presidential election, covering a four-year term from 2027 to 2031, he would exceed the constitutionally permitted maximum of eight cumulative years in office for a Nigerian president.
However, Justice Lifu ruled that the former president remains constitutionally eligible to seek election in 2027, dismissing the argument seeking to bar him from the race.
Comments