The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday declared former President Goodluck Jonathan eligible to participate in the 2027 presidential election.
The judgment elicited a positive reaction from the Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, which earlier granted a screening waiver to Jonathan to pave the pathway for his presidential ambition.
The PDP faction, which scheduled its primaries for May 28, 2026, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, described the ruling as being in line with the law and “common sense.”
“This judgment is clearly in alignment with the law and common sense, as laws cannot have a retroactive or retrospective effect,” it said.
The opposition party also described the suit challenging Jonathan’s eligibility as “vexatious” and “a gross abuse of court processes.”
According to the PDP, the legal action was an unnecessary distraction that should not have been instituted.
“The punitive cost against the plaintiff is also very much welcomed, to serve as a deterrent to intending busybodies and irritants, who make themselves available for use by those seeking to derail democracy,” the party stated.
Delivering judgment in the suit filed by a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, Justice Peter Lifu held that Jonathan could contest the election.
Jideobi had approached the court seeking an order restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The plaintiff also sought to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting, processing or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.
He asked the court to determine whether, having regard to Sections 1(1), (2), (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, Jonathan remained eligible to seek the office of president again.
Jideobi, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, insisted that Jonathan was no longer eligible to run for the office of president as he had already been sworn in as president on two occasions.
