A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, has dismissed a suit filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi seeking to prevent former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
The court also imposed financial penalties on the plaintiff, awarding ₦20 million in favour of Jonathan and an additional ₦1 million in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
Delivering judgment, Justice Lifu held that Jideobi lacked the legal standing to institute the case, noting that he did not demonstrate any personal injury arising from Jonathan’s alleged intention to contest the election.
The judge further stated that earlier rulings by a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal had already affirmed Jonathan’s eligibility to run for office. He ruled that he was bound by those appellate decisions.
Describing the suit as an “abuse of court process,” the court also dismissed a motion by the plaintiff seeking the judge’s withdrawal from the case, describing it as frivolous.
The case listed Jonathan, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and the Attorney-General of the Federation as 1st to 3rd defendants.
The plaintiff had argued that Jonathan should be barred from participating in future elections, a position the court rejected outright.
Jonathan, who first became Nigeria’s president in 2010 following the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, later won the 2011 election. He was defeated in 2015 by then-candidate Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, marking the first time an incumbent president lost re-election in Nigeria’s democratic history.
Since leaving office, Jonathan has largely remained outside partisan politics, although he has faced repeated calls to return to the presidential race.
Speaking recently to a youth group under the Coalition for Goodluck Jonathan, the former president said he would consult widely before making any decision on 2027, noting that “the presidential race is not a computer game.”
Earlier filings in the case also included the Federal High Court in Abuja and the Attorney-General of the Federation as key parties in the legal dispute.
The ruling effectively clears legal uncertainty surrounding Jonathan’s eligibility, reinforcing prior judicial decisions on the matter.
