The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has cleared former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, to participate in the 2027 presidential election.
The ruling followed a suit filed by Johnmary Jideobi, who sought an order restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a presidential candidate for the 2027 polls.
The plaintiff had also asked the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting, processing, or publishing Jonathan’s name as a candidate, arguing that the former president was constitutionally barred from seeking the office again under Sections 1(1), (2), (3), and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution.
However, delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu held that Jonathan remains eligible to contest the presidential election.
The decision comes days after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki reportedly granted Jonathan a waiver and endorsed him as the party’s sole presidential candidate for the 2027 race.
Jonathan served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015 after succeeding late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. He later lost the 2015 presidential election to former President Muhammadu Buhari, becoming the first incumbent president in Nigeria’s history to lose a re-election bid.















