A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ruled that former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan remains eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election, dismissing a suit seeking to stop him from running.
Delivering judgement, Justice Peter Lifu held that the plaintiff, Johnmary Jideobi, lacked the legal standing to institute the case because he failed to show how he suffered any personal injury from Jonathan’s alleged ambition to return to office.
“The suit is an abuse of court process,” the judge declared, stressing that previous decisions by both the Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal had already affirmed Jonathan’s eligibility to seek the presidency again.
The case was anchored on a constitutional amendment that bars any individual from being sworn in as president more than twice. However, the court ruled that the matter had effectively been settled by superior judicial pronouncements.
Justice Lifu also dismissed an application filed by the plaintiff seeking the judge’s withdrawal from the matter, describing the request as frivolous.
In addition, the court imposed a N20 million fine against the plaintiff in favour of Jonathan over what it considered a baseless legal action.
Jonathan, who served as president between 2010 and 2015, has repeatedly been linked with speculation about a possible return to the presidential race ahead of the 2027 elections.
