Court Adjourns Jonathan Eligibility Suit Again

The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until May 15 the hearing of a suit seeking to bar former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election or any future presidential race.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, was filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, who argued that Jonathan is constitutionally ineligible to seek the presidency again after taking the oath of office twice — first in 2010 following the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and again after winning the 2011 election.

Jonathan is listed as the first defendant in the suit, while the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Attorney-General of the Federation are named as second and third defendants.

At Monday’s proceedings, neither the plaintiff nor INEC appeared in court for the second consecutive sitting.

Counsel to Jonathan asked Justice Peter Lifu to strike out the suit on the grounds that the plaintiff and INEC had repeatedly failed to appear. The judge declined the request, stating that the parties should be given one final notice in the interest of fair hearing.

The adjournment comes days after Jonathan said he would begin consultations on the possibility of joining the 2027 presidential race.

In the suit, Jideobi asked the court to restrain Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a presidential candidate. He also sought an order preventing INEC from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name for any presidential election.

The plaintiff argued that Jonathan had already exhausted the constitutional limit for holding office as president by completing Yar’Adua’s tenure and serving a full four-year term after the 2011 election.

According to the originating processes, the court is being asked to interpret Sections 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution to determine whether Jonathan can lawfully contest again.

An affidavit filed in support of the suit by Emmanuel Agida stated that Jonathan assumed office on May 6, 2010, after Yar’Adua died a day earlier.

The affidavit added that reports linking Jonathan to the 2027 presidential election prompted the legal action.

“The plaintiff believes that the first defendant, having completed the unexpired term of late President Yar’Adua and subsequently served a full term after the 2011 election, has exhausted the constitutional limit of two tenures as president,” the affidavit stated.