Court Adjourns Suit Seeking to Stop Jonathan’s 2027 Presidential Ambition

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday adjourned proceedings in a suit seeking to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election.

The case, filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, came up before Justice Peter Odo Lifu but could not proceed due to the absence of some parties in the matter, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission.

INEC was again not represented in court, marking the second consecutive hearing the electoral body failed to appear for proceedings. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, who is also listed as a defendant in the suit, informed the court that he had not yet been served with the originating processes and therefore could not file any response or formally enter appearance.

Following the development, Justice Lifu ruled that the matter could not proceed in the interest of justice and fair hearing, stressing the need for all parties to be properly notified before the court continues with the case.

The judge subsequently adjourned the matter till May 18 for definite hearing and directed the plaintiff to ensure that all court documents and hearing notices are properly served on the defendants.

The suit has continued to face delays since it was first mentioned before the court. At the previous sitting on May 11, proceedings were also stalled after the plaintiff and his counsel failed to appear in court without any explanation. INEC and the Attorney General of the Federation were equally absent during that hearing.

At the time, counsel to former President Jonathan, Chris Uche, SAN, had urged the court to dismiss the suit for lack of diligent prosecution and requested that a cost of N5 million be awarded against the plaintiff.

In the substantive case, the plaintiff is asking the court to restrain Jonathan from presenting himself as a presidential aspirant under any political party ahead of the 2027 general election.

He is also seeking an order preventing INEC from accepting, processing, or publishing Jonathan’s name as a candidate for the presidency.

The plaintiff wants the court to interpret provisions of Sections 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution to determine whether the former president remains eligible to seek another term in office.

According to the suit, Jonathan allegedly exhausted the constitutional limit of two terms after completing the tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2010 and later serving a full four-year term following the 2011 presidential election.

In an affidavit filed in support of the suit, Emmanuel Agida stated that recent discussions and reports suggesting a possible 2027 presidential ambition by Jonathan prompted the legal action.

The plaintiff argued that allowing the former president to contest again would amount to taking the presidential oath of office for a third time, which he claimed would violate constitutional provisions governing tenure limits.

He further maintained that the suit was filed in the public interest to protect constitutional democracy and uphold the supremacy of the Nigerian Constitution.