JUST NOW: Court Dismisses Suit Seeking To Disqualify Jonathan From 2027 Presidential Race, Fines Plaintiff N20 Million

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has just dismissed a suit seeking to bar former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting in the 2027 presidential election. Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgment delivered on Tuesday, struck out the case for lacking in merit and being an abuse of court process.

The court also imposed a fine of N20 million against the plaintiff, an Abuja-based lawyer named Johnmary Jideobi, payable to former President Jonathan. Additionally, Justice Lifu awarded a fine of N1 million against the plaintiff in favor of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Delivering his ruling, Justice Lifu held that the plaintiff lacked the legal right (locus standi) to institute the suit, noting that Jideobi had not suffered any personal loss from Jonathan’s perceived intention to run for office. The judge was unequivocal in his criticism of the legal action.

“I hold that the plaintiff has no locus standi to file this suit,” Justice Lifu ruled. He further described the case as “an abuse of court process” and dismissed it for being frivolous.

Justice Lifu clarified that he was bound by the doctrine of stare decisis, citing previous judgments from the Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal, which had already established that former President Jonathan is eligible to contest for the presidency.

The plaintiff had argued that Jonathan was disqualified based on the provisions of Sections 1(1), (2), (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution. Jideobi contended that Jonathan had already exhausted the constitutional two-term limit by completing the tenure of the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua before serving a full four-year term of his own.

However, the court disagreed with this interpretation, solidifying the legal pathway for Jonathan to return to the ballot box if he so desires. As of this report, the former president has maintained a public silence on whether he intends to formally join the 2027 race, neither denying nor confirming his interest.