(former President Goodluck Jonathan. Photo Credit: Daily Post)
A legal action seeking to bar former President Goodluck Jonathan from participating in the 2027 presidential election has hit yet another obstacle, with the Federal High Court in Abuja unable to proceed with a scheduled hearing on Friday.
Justice Peter Odo Lifu had set aside Friday for a definitive hearing of the suit filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, but proceedings were stalled once again after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to appear in court for the second consecutive time, having also been absent during the first hearing on May 11.
Compounding matters, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, listed as the third defendant in the case, informed the court that he had never been served with the originating summons by the plaintiff, making it impossible for him to formally respond or appear.
Confronted with these procedural gaps, Justice Lifu ruled that fairness and the interests of justice required another adjournment.
The case has been rescheduled to May 18, with the judge directing the plaintiff to ensure that all relevant parties are properly served with the originating summons and hearing notices before that date.
The May 11 sitting had itself been unproductive, as the plaintiff, his lawyer, INEC, and the AGF were all absent without explanation.
Jonathan’s legal representative, Chris Uche, SAN, had seized on that absence to apply for the suit to be struck out on grounds of lacking diligent prosecution, further requesting that the court award ₦5 million in costs against the plaintiff in favor of Jonathan.
At the heart of the lawsuit is a constitutional question regarding Jonathan’s eligibility to contest the presidency again.
The plaintiff argues that Jonathan has already exhausted the two-term limit prescribed by the 1999 Constitution, having first completed the remainder of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s term after his death in May 2010, and subsequently serving a full four-year term following his election victory in 2011.
On this basis, Jideobi is seeking court orders to prevent Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a presidential aspirant and to stop INEC from accepting, processing, or publishing his name as a candidate.
A supporting affidavit filed by Emmanuel Agida noted that reports suggesting Jonathan may be eyeing a return to the presidency in 2027 prompted the decision to approach the court.
The affidavit stressed that the suit was filed in the public interest, with the goal of upholding constitutional supremacy and preserving the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic order.
It further warned that if left unchecked, a political party could nominate Jonathan in breach of constitutional provisions, and that a victory for him would mean taking the presidential oath for a third time.
