A lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election or any future presidential race in Nigeria.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, Jideobi is asking the court to issue a perpetual injunction restraining Jonathan from presenting himself for nomination by any political party.
He also requested the court to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate and to compel the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to enforce the ruling.
INEC and the AGF are joined as the second and third defendants in the suit.
In an affidavit filed in support of the case, Emmanuel Agida, who deposed to the statement, described the plaintiff as “an advocate of constitutionalism and the rule of law.”
He argued that Jonathan, having completed the tenure of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and served a full term from 2011 to 2015, has already reached the constitutional limit of two terms.
Jideobi said he filed the case after reports emerged suggesting that Jonathan may contest in 2027, citing Section 137(3) of the Constitution, which restricts any president who has completed another’s term from serving more than once.
He recalled that Jonathan first assumed office on May 6, 2010, following Yar’Adua’s death, before being elected in 2011 and serving until 2015. Allowing him to contest again, he argued, would exceed the maximum eight years permitted under the Constitution.
The lawyer, describing his suit as one filed in the public interest, urged the court to declare Jonathan ineligible to seek or occupy the presidency again and to prohibit INEC from publishing his name in any future presidential ballot.
No hearing date has been fixed yet.
A similar lawsuit filed in 2022 was dismissed by Justice Isa Dashen of the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, who ruled that Jonathan remained eligible to contest because Section 137(3) took effect after he left office. The court held that the provision could not be applied retroactively, effectively clearing Jonathan to run — though he ultimately did not contest the 2023 elections.
Renewed Speculation Ahead of 2027
Despite his silence, speculation about Jonathan’s potential return has intensified ahead of the 2027 polls. Political groups, particularly within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), are said to be considering him as a possible consensus candidate.
Recent calls for his comeback, especially from northern political figures, have gained traction amid growing alliances aimed at unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, and former Information Minister Professor Jerry Gana are among those who have openly urged Jonathan to run.
Two weeks ago, Jonathan visited ADC National Chairman Senator David Mark at his Abuja residence. While ADC spokesperson Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi described the meeting as private, observers believe it was connected to ongoing 2027 political realignments.
Jonathan, who lost his re-election bid to Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, is reportedly being courted because he constitutionally qualifies to serve only one more term — a factor viewed as a potential solution to the country’s regional power balance debate.
Political analysts say the new legal challenge highlights persistent ambiguity in interpreting Nigeria’s presidential tenure laws and reflects the political maneuvering already shaping the 2027 contest.