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, Bayelsa state, and upheld by the Court of Appeal had already settled the issue regarding Jonathan’s 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 ₦20 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 president’s 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, Jonathan’s 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-president’s 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.
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 Jonathan’s name as a duly nominated presidential candidate.
The legal battle came amid increasing political speculation surrounding Jonathan’s possible return to presidential politics.
It 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.
