TDFormer President Goodluck Jonathan has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a suit seeking to bar him from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
On Friday, Jonathan’s counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), informed Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja that the former president had already filed the necessary legal processes challenging the suit.
He urged the court to strike out the case, stressing that Jonathan’s eligibility had previously been settled by the courts, including the Court of Appeal.
According to the defence, Jonathan’s legal team filed a conditional appearance, preliminary objection, counter-affidavit, and written address on May 5 after learning about the matter through media reports.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Ndubuisi Ukpai, however, told the court that he had only just received Jonathan’s response and needed time to study the documents and file a reply.
Following submissions, Justice Lifu adjourned the matter until May 11 for hearing on both the preliminary objection and the substantive suit.
The court also directed that hearing notices be served on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation, who were absent during proceedings.
The suit was filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi on October 6, 2025.
It is seeking a permanent order stopping Jonathan from participating in the 2027 presidential election.
The plaintiff asked the court to restrain Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a presidential candidate.
He also asked the court to prevent INEC from recognising or publishing his name as a validly nominated candidate.
At the centre of the dispute is whether Jonathan, having taken the oath of office twice, remains constitutionally eligible under Sections 1 and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution.
The plaintiff argued that Jonathan had already exhausted the constitutional limit of two terms in office.
The first was when he completed the unexpired tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2010.
The later incidence was after he served a full elected term, having won the 2011 presidential election.
He maintained that failure by the court to intervene could allow a political party to present Jonathan as a candidate in 2027.
That, he said, could potentially spark constitutional disputes over presidential tenure and eligibility.
Jideobi further stated that he approached the court in the public interest to defend constitutional democracy and prevent what he described as a possible violation of the Constitution.
