Jonathan moves to stop court case seeking To block 2027 presidential bid

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has formally opposed a lawsuit seeking to prevent him from contesting the 2027 presidential election, as a legal battle over his eligibility intensifies at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Jonathan’s counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), informed Justice Peter Lifu on Friday that the former president had already filed all necessary responses to the suit, including a conditional appearance, preliminary objection, counter-affidavit and written address. He said the processes were filed on May 5, urging the court to dismiss the case in its entirety.

According to the defence, Jonathan’s legal team acted promptly after becoming aware of the suit through media reports.

Uche argued that the case revolves around Jonathan’s eligibility to run for president in 2027, insisting that the issue had already been settled by superior courts, including the Court of Appeal.

Counsel to the plaintiff, Ndubuisi Ukpai, told the court that he had only just received the defence processes and requested time to study them and respond appropriately.

Following submissions from both sides, Justice Lifu adjourned the matter until May 11 for hearing of the preliminary objection and the substantive suit.

The judge also ordered that hearing notices be served on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation, who were absent in court.

The suit was filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, who is asking the court to permanently restrain Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election.

He is also seeking an order stopping Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a presidential candidate and barring INEC from accepting or publishing his name as a valid nominee.

Filed on October 6, 2025, the case lists Jonathan as the first defendant, with INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation joined as co-defendants.

At the centre of the dispute is whether Jonathan, having previously served as president and taken the oath of office twice, remains constitutionally eligible to contest again under Sections 1 and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution.

The plaintiff argues that Jonathan, having completed the remaining term of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and later served a full elected term after winning in 2011, has already exhausted the constitutional limit of two terms.

He further contends that INEC lacks the constitutional authority to accept Jonathan’s nomination for any future presidential election.

In an affidavit supporting the suit, Emmanuel Agida described the plaintiff as a defender of constitutionalism acting in the public interest to prevent what he termed a potential breach of the Constitution.

The affidavit also noted that recent political discussions and media reports have linked Jonathan to a possible return to the presidential race in 2027.

The plaintiff warned that failure of the court to intervene could allow a political party to present Jonathan as a candidate, potentially triggering constitutional uncertainty over presidential tenure limits.

He urged the court to grant all reliefs sought, insisting that the matter is necessary to safeguard constitutional order and democratic stability in Nigeria.