The judgment was delivered by Justice Peter Lifu in a suit filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, who had asked the court to restrain Jonathan from presenting himself as a presidential candidate in the next general election.
The plaintiff also sought an order stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a candidate. Jideobi argued that Jonathan was no longer constitutionally qualified to contest because he had already taken the presidential oath of office on two separate occasions.
According to the suit, if Jonathan were to contest and win the 2027 election, he would exceed the constitutional limit of eight years allowed for a Nigerian president.
The plaintiff maintained that Jonathan completed the remaining tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua before later serving a full term after the 2011 presidential election.
However, Justice Lifu dismissed the suit and ruled that the plaintiff lacked the legal standing to institute the case because he failed to show any personal loss or injury.
The judge further noted that both a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal had previously ruled that Jonathan remains eligible to seek the presidency again.
Justice Lifu described the case as an abuse of court process and also dismissed a separate application requesting his withdrawal from the matter. The court awarded a N20 million fine against the plaintiff in favour of former President Goodluck Jonathan and an additional N1 million fine in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party recently offered Jonathan a waiver to emerge as the party’s sole presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 elections.
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