A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is qualified to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu dismissed a suit filed to challenge Jonathan’s eligibility and described the case as frivolous and an abuse of court process.
The judge also imposed a N20 million penalty on the plaintiff’s lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, while awarding an additional N1 million cost in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
According to the court, the lawyer had no legal standing to institute the case because he failed to show how he was personally affected by Jonathan’s alleged intention to seek the presidency in 2027.
Justice Lifu further noted that both the Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal had earlier ruled that Jonathan remains eligible to run for office.
He stated that the appellate court’s verdict was binding on him.
With the ruling, the court effectively cleared the former president to participate in the next presidential election if he decides to contest.
