JUST IN: Suit to stop Jonathan 2027 presidential bid suffers another setback, as court slams N1m fine on Plaintiff

By Monday Peters, Abuja

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has faulted Johnmary Jideobi and his lawyer, Ndubuisi Ukpai, for what he termed a lack of seriousness in handling a suit aimed at preventing former President Goodluck Jonathan from running in the 2027 presidential election.

The judge said the actions of the plaintiff and his counsel fell short of professional standards and ordered Jideobi to pay N1 million to Jonathan as costs.

Justice Lifu noted that the case, filed on October 6, 2025, had not been served on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, who are named as defendants.

He also pointed out that Jonathan’s legal team only learned of the suit through news reports and had already filed their responses on that basis.

When the case was first called on Friday, both the plaintiff and his lawyer were absent. Jonathan’s counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, asked the court to dismiss the suit, citing repeated non-appearance and what he called a disregard for court procedure.

The AGF’s representative told the court that while Jonathan’s response had been received, the office had not been served with the plaintiff’s originating documents.

Ukpai later arrived and apologized for the delay, blaming it on a vehicle breakdown.

Justice Lifu then adjourned the matter to May 18 for the hearing of all pending applications and the substantive suit.