A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday adjourned until May 11, 2026, a suit seeking to disqualify former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
Justice Peter Lifu adjourned the matter after the plaintiff’s counsel, Ndubuisi Ukpai, told the court he had only recently been served with a preliminary objection filed by the defence and needed time to respond.
The suit seeks the court’s interpretation of whether Jonathan is constitutionally eligible to contest another presidential election under the 1999 Constitution.
Counsel to Jonathan, Chris Uche (SAN), told the court he became aware of the suit through media reports and had since worked to ensure all necessary court processes on behalf of the former president were filed properly.
Uche also cited previous judgments by the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal on similar issues, questioning why the debate over Jonathan’s eligibility had resurfaced.
The Independent National Electoral Commission and the Attorney-General of the Federation, listed as second and third respondents, were absent from proceedings.
After hearing submissions, Justice Lifu ordered that hearing notices be properly served on all respondents before the next adjourned date.
The suit was filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, who is seeking declarations that Jonathan is constitutionally barred from contesting the presidency again.
He also asked the court to restrain Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a presidential candidate in the 2027 election and to prevent INEC from accepting or publishing his name as a candidate.
At the centre of the case is the interpretation of Sections 1(1), (2) and (3), and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which the plaintiff argues disqualify Jonathan from seeking another term.
The plaintiff contended that Jonathan had already exhausted the constitutional limit after completing the tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua following his death in 2010 and later serving a full four-year term after winning the 2011 election.
In an affidavit supporting the suit, Emmanuel Agida said the legal action was prompted by reports that Jonathan was considering another presidential bid in 2027.
According to the plaintiff, allowing Jonathan to contest and potentially win would result in him taking the presidential oath for a third time, which he argued is prohibited by the Constitution.
Justice Lifu had earlier ordered on April 28 that hearing notices be issued and served on all defendants after observing that some parties had yet to file responses.
The court is expected to resume hearing on May 11 as the legal dispute over Jonathan’s eligibility continues.
