A legal practitioner, Mr. Johnmary Chukwukasi Jideobi, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order to restrain former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan from contesting in the 2027 presidential election or any future elections in Nigeria.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, also seeks to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate, citing constitutional limitations on the number of terms an individual can serve as president.
Joined in the suit are INEC as the second defendant and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) as the third defendant.
In his application before the court, Jideobi is asking for a judicial determination on “whether, in view of the combined provisions of Sections 1(1), (2) and (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the first defendant is eligible under any circumstances to contest for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The lawyer further prayed the court to declare that Jonathan “is constitutionally ineligible to contest for or occupy the office of President again” and that INEC “lacks the legal authority to accept or publish his name as a candidate in any presidential election, including that of 2027.”
He also requested a perpetual injunction restraining Jonathan “from presenting himself to any political party in Nigeria for nomination as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election or any election thereafter.”
Additionally, Jideobi is seeking an order barring INEC “from accepting or publishing the name of the first defendant as a candidate for election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2027 and subsequent elections.”
The lawyer further asked the court to direct the Attorney General of the Federation to ensure strict compliance with any order or decision arising from the case.
In an affidavit supporting the suit, one Emmanuel Agida stated that Jideobi filed the case “as an advocate of constitutionalism and the rule of law” to prevent what he described as a potential constitutional breach.
He argued that allowing the former President to contest and possibly serve another four-year term “would amount to violating the cumulative eight-year tenure limit” provided by the 1999 Constitution.
“This action is not politically motivated but guided by the need to protect the supremacy of the Constitution,” Agida affirmed in the affidavit. “No individual, regardless of past office or popularity, should be permitted to exceed the constitutionally prescribed tenure.”
