The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday heard a suit challenging the Jonathan 2027 bid, with the plaintiff asking the court to declare former President Goodluck Jonathan constitutionally ineligible to contest the 2027 presidential election. The case has drawn national attention amid renewed political discussions over Jonathan’s possible return to presidential politics and the constitutional interpretation of presidential tenure limits in Nigeria.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, was filed by lawyer Johnmary Jideobi before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court. The plaintiff is seeking an order restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a candidate for the 2027 presidential election. He also asked the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.
Justice Peter Lifu had earlier fixed May 8, 2026, for hearing after ordering that hearing notices be served on the defendants following their failure to file responses within the stipulated period. Jonathan was listed as the first defendant, while INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, were joined as second and third defendants respectively.
At the centre of the legal dispute is the interpretation of Sections 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution concerning presidential tenure. In the originating summons, the plaintiff asked the court to determine whether Jonathan remains eligible under any circumstance to contest for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after previously serving as president.
The plaintiff argued that the Jonathan 2027 bid violates constitutional limits because Jonathan completed the unexpired tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua after assuming office on May 6, 2010, following Yar’Adua’s death on May 5, 2010. Jonathan later won the 2011 presidential election and served a full four-year tenure that ended in 2015.
An affidavit filed in support of the suit by Emmanuel Agida stated that allowing the Jonathan 2027 bid to proceed could result in Jonathan taking the presidential oath of office for a third time if elected. According to the affidavit, “the plaintiff believes that the 1st defendant, having completed the unexpired term of late President Yar’Adua and subsequently served a full term after the 2011 election, has exhausted the constitutional limit of two tenures as president.”
The affidavit further stated that the legal action was filed “in the public interest, in defence of the rule of law and accentuation of the supremacy of the Constitution, and to preserve the integrity of the Nigerian constitutional order.”
The court proceedings come amid growing political speculation surrounding the Jonathan 2027 bid after groups under the banner of “The Coalition for Jonathan 2027” recently called on the former president to contest the next election. Jonathan had also stated in Abuja that he would “consult widely” before taking any decision regarding the presidential race.
Legal analysts say the case could become a significant constitutional test regarding succession, tenure limits, and electoral eligibility under Nigeria’s democratic system. However, the Federal High Court has yet to make any ruling on the substance of the suit.
