BREAKING: Court Clears Goodluck Jonathan to Run in 2027 Presidential Election

By Monday Peters, Abuja

ABUJA – A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that former President Goodluck Jonathan is eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election.

The judgment was delivered on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, by Justice Peter Lifu in a suit filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi. The plaintiff had asked the court to bar Jonathan from running for president again and to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting his name as a candidate.

Jideobi’s suit questioned whether Jonathan remained qualified under Sections 1(1), (2), (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, given that he had previously served as president.

Ruling on the matter, Justice Lifu held that nothing in the law stops Jonathan from contesting the 2027 poll. He stated that the plaintiff had no legal standing to bring the case, noting that Jideobi had not shown he suffered any personal loss from Jonathan’s potential candidacy.

The judge also referenced earlier decisions by a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal, both of which affirmed Jonathan’s eligibility. He said he was bound by the appellate court’s position and described the current suit as an abuse of court process.

As part of the ruling, Justice Lifu imposed a N20 million fine on Jideobi to be paid to the former president, and an additional N1 million fine to be paid to the Attorney-General of the Federation.

The court also dismissed Jideobi’s motion seeking the judge’s recusal, describing it as frivolous.

The ruling comes weeks after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki granted Jonathan a waiver to run as the party’s sole presidential candidate.

Jonathan served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015.