Court clears Goodluck Jonathan to contest 2027 presidential election

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that former President Goodluck Jonathan is eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election.

Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu held that there was no legal barrier preventing Jonathan from participating in the race as a candidate.

The court also imposed a fine of N20 million against the appellant in favour of the former president, while awarding an additional N1 million cost against the plaintiff in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

The suit was filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, who had sought to restrain Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election and had also asked the court to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or publishing his name as a candidate.

However, Justice Lifu held that the plaintiff had no legal standing to bring the case, noting that he had not demonstrated any personal injury arising from Jonathan’s alleged intention to contest.

The judge further stated that previous decisions by both the Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal had already affirmed Jonathan’s eligibility, adding that he was bound by those appellate decisions.

He described the suit as an abuse of court process and also dismissed a separate application by the plaintiff seeking the judge’s recusal on grounds of alleged bias, describing it as frivolous.

The plaintiff had argued that the judge should step aside due to perceived bias, but the court rejected the request.

On an earlier hearing date, counsel for Goodluck Jonathan, Chris Uche, SAN, and lawyers for the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, had urged the court to dismiss the recusal application, describing it as baseless and an abuse of court process.

Jonathan’s legal team maintained that the motion lacked merit and urged the court to proceed with the substantive matter.

The AGF’s lawyers also opposed the application, arguing that there was no evidence of bias and that the motion failed to meet legal requirements for recusal.

The plaintiff had asked the court to interpret sections of the 1999 Constitution, including provisions relating to eligibility for the office of President, in relation to Jonathan’s bid to contest again.