By Chinedu Echianu
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has been cleared by a Federal High Court in Abuja to contest the 2027 presidential election, following the dismissal of a suit challenging his eligibility.
The case was filed by Johnmary Jideobi, who sought an order preventing Jonathan from presenting himself as a candidate for any political party in the 2027 race. He also asked the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.
Jideobi argued that, based on provisions of the 1999 Constitution, Jonathan was no longer qualified to seek the presidency.
However, delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the former president remains eligible to contest the election.
The judge noted that both a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal had earlier affirmed Jonathan’s eligibility, adding that the appellate court’s decision was binding.
The court also held that the plaintiff lacked the legal standing to institute the suit, stating that he failed to show how he had been personally affected by Jonathan’s possible ambition.
Justice Lifu described the suit as an abuse of court process and dismissed a separate application seeking his withdrawal from the matter, calling it frivolous.
The judge awarded N20 million in damages against Jideobi in favour of Jonathan, alongside an additional N1 million award in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The ruling comes days after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, adopted Jonathan as the party’s sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
