A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit challenging former President Goodluck Jonathan's eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election. Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment on Tuesday, ruling that the plaintiff, Johnmary Jideobi, lacked legal standing to bring the case. The court found Jideobi failed to demonstrate how Jonathan's potential candidacy directly affected him personally.
Justice Lifu determined that the matter of Jonathan's eligibility had already been settled by previous court decisions. He cited rulings from the Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal, both of which affirmed Jonathan's right to run for office again. The judge stated the appellate court's decision remained binding and described the new suit as an abuse of court process.
The court imposed a N21 million penalty on Jideobi. This includes N20 million in damages awarded to Jonathan and N1 million in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation. The judge also dismissed an application by Jideobi seeking to withdraw from the case, calling it frivolous.
Jideobi had named Jonathan, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and the Attorney-General of the Federation as respondents in the suit. He had sought to prevent Jonathan from participating in the 2027 election on grounds related to constitutional eligibility. The court dismissed the case in its entirety.
The same courts that cleared Jonathan for a possible 2027 return previously rejected term limit challenges during his presidency, creating a precedent he now benefits from. That precedent allows him to seek office again despite earlier resistance to third-term bids by other leaders. The N21 million penalty signals a strong stance against what the court sees as misuse of judicial processes. This outcome removes a legal barrier but leaves political acceptance of a former president's comeback to voters.
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