Breaking: Court Declares Jonathan Eligible for 2027 Presidential Election, Dismisses Suit

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has declared former President Goodluck Jonathan eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election.

Justice Peter Lifu made the declaration while delivering judgment in a suit seeking to stop Jonathan from participating in future presidential elections on the grounds that he had already taken the presidential oath of office twice.

The court, however, dismissed the suit, describing it as an abuse of court process.

In his ruling, Justice Lifu held that the matter had already been determined by both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in earlier judgments concerning Jonathan’s constitutional eligibility to seek elective office again.

According to the judge, the suit amounted to a waste of judicial time since superior courts had already settled the issue.

“I am bound by the above decision of the Court of Appeal and this court. I have no more to add,” Justice Lifu stated during the judgment.

The court also awarded costs against the plaintiff, ordering the payment of N20 million in favour of Jonathan and an additional N1 million in favour of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

The suit had sought an interpretation of constitutional provisions relating to presidential tenure and whether Jonathan, who completed the tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua before serving a full term after winning the 2011 election, could constitutionally contest again.

Jonathan served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015 and has remained a prominent figure in national and international diplomacy since leaving office.