Goodlock Jonathan
By Olayiwola Mercy
A lawyer, Johnmary Chukwukasi Jideobi, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election. Jideobi argues that Jonathan is constitutionally ineligible to run for the presidency again, citing Section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which limits a president to two terms in office.
According to Jideobi, Jonathan has already exhausted the constitutional limit of two terms, having completed the unexpired term of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and subsequently serving a full term after winning the 2011 election. He claims that if Jonathan is allowed to contest and win the 2027 election, it would amount to a breach of the Constitution, as he would have exceeded the maximum eight years allowed for a president.
The plaintiff is seeking several reliefs, including a declaration that Jonathan is ineligible to stand for or occupy the office of the President of Nigeria, and an order of perpetual injunction restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party for nomination as its candidate for the presidential election. Jideobi also wants the court to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a candidate.
Jideobi maintains that he filed the suit in the public interest to uphold constitutional order and the rule of law. He believes that the court has a duty to intervene and prevent a potential breach of the Constitution. The case is yet to be heard, and the court has not fixed a date for the hearing.
The outcome of the case will depend on the court’s interpretation of Section 137(3) of the Constitution and whether Jonathan’s completion of Yar’Adua’s term constitutes a full term. If the court rules in favor of Jideobi, Jonathan may be barred from contesting the 2027 presidential election. However, if the court rules in favor of Jonathan, he may be allowed to contest the election.
