The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, held that former President Goodluck Jonathan is eligible to run in the 2027 presidential poll.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment in the ex-president’s favour while dismissing a suit filed by a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, who sought to restrain Jonathan from contesting in the forthcoming election.
Jideobi had dragged Jonathan, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) before the court as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.
What the court said
Delivering his judgment, Justice Lifu held that Jideobi lacked the legal right (locus standi) to institute the suit because he failed to show proof of suffering any loss arising from his claim regarding Jonathan’s intention to run in the next presidential poll.
The judge also highlighted that a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal had already ruled that Jonathan was eligible to contest.
He held that Jonathan was bound by the decision of the appellate court and that the lawyer’s suit amounted to “an abuse of court process.”
Justice Lifu also dismissed Jideobi’s motion seeking the judge’s withdrawal from the case, describing the application as “frivolous,” according to NAN.
In conclusion, Justice Peter Lifu awarded a N20 million fine against Jideobi in favour of the ex-president.
The judge also ordered the lawyer to pay an additional N1 million fine in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
Backstory
Justice Isa Hamma Dashen made the declaration at the time.
He held that Jonathan’s right to vie for the office of president again could not be stopped by any retroactive law.
Before dismissing the suit at the time, Justice Dashen noted that Jonathan took an oath of office in 2010 without a general election because he had to complete the tenure of late President Musa Yar’Adua.
He ruled that the only time Jonathan took an oath of office through a general election was in 2011 when he was elected president.
What you should know
The development comes amid political parties rounding off their primaries to announce their respective flagbearers in line with INEC guidelines and the Electoral Act.
Earlier in February, INEC informed the National Assembly that it requires N873.78 billion to conduct the 2027 general elections, along with N171 billion to fund its operations in 2026.
The proposed N873.78 billion represents a significant increase from the N313.4 billion released for the 2023 elections.
The budget highlights the scale and financial demands of conducting nationwide elections under the revised timetable and the new legal framework.
