Abuja Court Fixes May 15 Hearing in Suit Seeking to Bar Jonathan from 2027 Presidential Race

A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed May 15, 2026 for a definite hearing in a constitutional suit filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi that seeks to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election. The case tests whether Jonathan has already served the maximum two tenures permitted under the 1999 Constitution. Justice Peter Lifu adjourned the matter on May 11 after the plaintiff and some defendants were absent from the session, ordering that hearing notices be properly served on all parties before the court convenes again.

The Details

The suit asks the court to determine whether Jonathan is eligible to run for president again after completing the unexpired term of the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua in 2010 and subsequently serving a full elected term following the 2011 election. An affidavit supporting the suit, attributed to Emmanuel Agida, states that the plaintiff believes Jonathan, having completed Yar'Adua's unexpired term and later served a full term after the 2011 election, has exhausted the constitutional limit of two tenures as president. The suit names Jonathan as the first defendant, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the second defendant, and the Attorney-General of the Federation as the third defendant. The case asks the court to restrain Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a 2027 presidential aspirant and to stop INEC from accepting or publishing his name as a candidate. The central constitutional question posed in the filing asks whether, in view of the combined provisions of sections 1(1), (2) and (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, Jonathan is eligible under any circumstances whatsoever to contest for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The case was initially listed for hearing on May 8 after Justice Lifu ordered hearing notices served on the defendants. When the matter came up on May 8, it was adjourned to May 11 after the plaintiff's counsel said he had only recently been served with Jonathan's preliminary objection and needed time to respond. At the May 11 session, the judge found that the plaintiff and some defendants were absent, and noted that hearing notices had not been shown to have been served on INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation. Rather than strike out the suit, Justice Lifu elected to adjourn and fix May 15 as the definite hearing date. Jonathan's counsel, Chris Uche, argued that the matter should be struck out for lack of diligent prosecution and said similar eligibility questions had previously been decided in Jonathan's favour.

Context

Jonathan was sworn in as president in May 2010 after the death of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and later won the 2011 election for a full term. The constitutional question at the heart of the suit centres on whether two separate periods in executive office amount to the constitutional limit of two tenures under Nigerian law. The plaintiff argues that Jonathan has exhausted that limit. The suit names Jonathan as the first defendant, INEC as the second defendant, and the Attorney-General of the Federation as the third defendant. Jonathan has publicly said he would consult widely on whether to contest the 2027 presidential election. His counsel, Chris Uche, has previously argued that the matter should be struck out for lack of diligent prosecution and noted that similar eligibility questions had already been decided in Jonathan's favour.

What's Next

The May 15 hearing will proceed after hearing notices are served on the defendants. The court has indicated it will hear the matter substantively at that session, marking the first full judicial examination of the constitutional arguments in the suit. Jonathan has not formally declared his candidacy but has signalled he is considering a run, making the court's eventual decision on eligibility potentially significant for the shape of the 2027 contest. The outcome could determine whether Jonathan is able to pursue a return to the presidency more than a decade after he left office in 2015.