By Gideon Maxwell
May 26, 2026
The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to disqualify former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election, describing the case as an abuse of court process.
Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu held that the claims brought before the court lacked sufficient legal basis, noting that similar questions around Jonathan’s eligibility had already been addressed in earlier judicial decisions.
The court consequently struck out the suit and imposed a financial penalty against the plaintiff, ordering him to pay N20 million in costs to the former president. In addition, a further N1 million was awarded against him in favour of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The action was filed by a legal practitioner who had asked the court to interpret constitutional provisions on presidential tenure, arguing that Jonathan had exhausted his eligibility after completing the remainder of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s term and subsequently winning a full term in 2011.
Jonathan and the Attorney-General of the Federation had asked the court to dismiss the suit, insisting that the matter was settled in law and constituted an attempt to re litigate issues already determined by superior courts.
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In its ruling, the court agreed that it was bound by precedent and declined to entertain further arguments on the matter, effectively clearing the former president of the immediate legal challenge to his eligibility for the 2027 race.
The decision comes amid growing political debate over Jonathan’s potential return to the presidential contest, though he has not formally declared his candidacy.
Court documents indicate that the plaintiff also sought an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting any nomination linked to Jonathan for the 2027 elections.
