A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit seeking to prevent former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting in the 2027 presidential election, affirming that he remains eligible to run for office based on earlier judicial pronouncements.
In its ruling, the court held that previous judgments delivered by the Federal High Court in Yenagoa and upheld by the Court of Appeal had already settled the issue regarding Jonathanโs constitutional eligibility to seek another term in office.
The presiding judge, Justice Peter Lifu, dismissed the case for lacking merit and consequently imposed a fine of N20 million on the plaintiff.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were present in court to witness the judgment.
The ruling is expected to reignite political discussions ahead of the 2027 general elections, amid growing speculation over whether Jonathan may return to active presidential politics.
The former President had asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss the suit seeking to stop him from contesting the 2027 presidential election amid growing speculation over his possible return to active politics.
Jonathan, through his lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), challenged the competence of the suit filed by Abuja-based lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, after the matter came up before Justice Lifu.
The former presidentโs legal team informed the court that it had already filed a conditional appearance, a notice of preliminary objection, counter affidavit and written address on May 5, 2026, urging the court to throw out the case.
According to Uche, Jonathanโs camp only became aware of the suit through media reports, forcing them to urgently respond because of the sensitive nature of the matter bordering on the ex-presidentโs eligibility to contest the next presidential election.
The senior advocate described the suit as unnecessary and legally defective, arguing that the issue had already been decided by the courts in previous cases up to the Court of Appeal.
Earlier, counsel to the plaintiff, Ndubuisi Ukpai, told the court that the case was originally scheduled for mention but that he had just been served with Jonathanโs processes in court and would require time to respond.
The judge had ordered that hearing notices be served on INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), listed as the second and third defendants in the matter but were absent from court proceedings.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, Jideobi asked the court to issue a perpetual injunction restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party for the purpose of contesting the 2027 presidential election.
The lawyer also prayed the court to stop INEC from accepting or publishing Jonathanโs name as a duly nominated presidential candidate.
The legal battle came amid increasing political speculation surrounding Jonathanโs possible return to presidential politics.
PlatinumPost had earlier reported that the former president was likely to formally join the 2027 presidential race after hinting at a possible comeback while addressing a group of young Nigerians who urged him to contest.
While responding to calls for him to contest in 2027, Jonathan had cautioned that presidential ambition was not something to be taken lightly.
โPresidential race is not a computer game. But Iโve heard you, and Iโll consult widely. But the most important thing is in Nigeria, that the young people will have hope,โ he told the youths.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, May 19, the Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) granted Jonathan an automatic ticket to contest the 2027 presidential election, exempting him from the partyโs screening and other internal nomination processes.
READ ALSO : PDP to screen Jonathan as sole presidential aspirant on Tuesday
The decision was announced during the PDP presidential screening exercise held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, where other aspirants appeared before the screening panel.
Speaking on behalf of the committee, former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu said the party had adopted a special consideration for Jonathan, effectively clearing him as its consensus candidate ahead of the general election.
Aliyu said the waiver granted to the former president meant he would not undergo the usual screening procedures applied to other aspirants.
โAnd therefore, the party has given him waiver to come on such following. In other words, he has been declared and cleared as a candidate of the PDP for the presidential election,โ he said.
The development came amid renewed political discussions with earlier reports suggesting that influential blocs within the PDP had been lobbying for his comeback as part of efforts to reposition the party ahead of 2027.
SaharaReporters
