Court Clears Jonathan for 2027 Presidential Race as Legal Storm Finally Settled

(Goodluck Jonathan. Poto by Premuim Times)

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that former President Goodluck Jonathan is eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election.

The ruling comes after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, granted Jonathan a waiver last week, presenting him as the group's sole presidential candidate for the election.

However, a private citizen, Johnmary Jideobi, had filed a lawsuit seeking to bar Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a presidential aspirant.

The plaintiff had also previously requested that the court prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting, processing, or publishing Jonathan's name as a candidate.

(Central to the suit was the question of whether Jonathan, in light of Sections 1(1), (2), (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, retains the legal right to seek the presidency again.

Delivering his judgment on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu ruled in Jonathan's favour, holding that the former president is free to participate in the election as a contestant.