A Federal High Court in Abuja has cleared former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election.
The development comes days after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, reportedly granted Jonathan a waiver and endorsed him as the party’s sole presidential candidate.
The court ruling followed a suit filed by Johnmary Jideobi, who sought an order restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a candidate in the 2027 presidential election.
The plaintiff had also asked the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting, processing, or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.
Jideobi urged the court to determine whether Jonathan, in line with Sections 1(1), (2), (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, remained eligible to seek the office of president again.
However, delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu held that Jonathan remains eligible to participate in the election as a contestant.
The development poses a serious threat to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Recall that President Tinubu got over 10 million votes to clinch the ruling All Progressives Congress presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general.
Tinubu and Jonathan are from the same geopolitical zone, southern Nigeria.
