A federal high court in Abuja will on Friday, May 8, 2026, hear a suit seeking to restrain former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election. The suit was filed by Johnmary Jideobi, a lawyer, who is asking the court to declare Jonathan constitutionally ineligible to seek the presidency again under the Nigerian Constitution. Jonathan is listed as the first defendant in the suit, while the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Attorney General of the Federation are joined as second and third defendants, respectively.
Jideobi prayed the court to issue an order restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a candidate for the 2027 election. He also sought an order barring INEC from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate. The plaintiff asked the court to determine whether, in view of the combined provisions of sections 1 and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, Jonathan is eligible under any circumstances to contest for the office of president.
Jideobi argued that Jonathan had exhausted the constitutional limit allowed for a president, having completed the tenure of the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua before serving another full term after the 2011 election.
In an affidavit filed in support of the suit, Emmanuel Agida, who deposed on behalf of the plaintiff, said Jonathan was sworn in as president on May 6, 2010, following Yar’Adua’s death a day earlier. Agida said reports of Jonathan’s alleged interest in the 2027 election prompted the legal action. The plaintiff further argued that if Jonathan contests and wins the election, he would be taking the presidential oath for a third time. Agida added that the suit 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.
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