2027 Presidency: Court postpones Jonathan eligibility case to May 11

The legal battle over the eligibility of former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election suffered another delay on Friday as a Federal High Court in Abuja adjourned proceedings till May 11, 2026.

Justice Peter Lifu fixed the new hearing date after counsel to the plaintiff, Ndubuisi Ukpai, told the court that he had only recently received a preliminary objection filed by the defence and needed time to respond appropriately.

The suit seeks a judicial interpretation of the constitutional provisions relating to whether Jonathan can legally seek another term as president under the 1999 Constitution.

During the proceedings, counsel to the former president, Chris Uche (SAN), informed the court that he initially learned about the case through media reports before taking steps to regularise all processes filed on behalf of his client.

Uche argued that courts had previously ruled on similar issues concerning Jonathan’s eligibility, noting that both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had addressed the matter in earlier cases.

He questioned why the controversy was being raised again despite earlier judicial pronouncements.

The Independent National Electoral Commission and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, listed as respondents in the suit, were not represented at the hearing.

Justice Lifu subsequently directed that hearing notices be properly served on all parties ahead of the next adjourned date.

The case was instituted by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, who is seeking a declaration that Jonathan is constitutionally disqualified from participating in the 2027 presidential election.

The plaintiff is also asking the court to restrain the former president from seeking nomination from any political party and to prevent INEC from recognising or publishing his name as a presidential candidate.

According to the plaintiff, Jonathan had already exhausted the constitutional limit for the office after completing the tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua following his death in 2010 and later winning and serving a full term in the 2011 election.

In an affidavit supporting the suit, Emmanuel Agida stated that the action became necessary following reports suggesting that Jonathan might be considering a return to the presidential race in 2027.

The plaintiff maintained that permitting Jonathan to contest again could result in him taking the presidential oath of office for a third time, which he argued would violate constitutional provisions.

The court had earlier, on April 28, ordered that hearing notices be issued to all defendants after observing that some respondents had not filed their responses.

With the matter now adjourned, the court is expected to resume hearing on May 11 as arguments over Jonathan’s constitutional eligibility continue to attract national attention.