Former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, has explained why ex-President Goodluck Jonathan can’t run for the presidency in 2027.
Speaking via an opinion article, Salami stated that the constitution bars Jonathan from running for office.
He warned that any attempt by Jonathan to occupy the highest political office in Nigeria would be a violation of the law, as the constitution clearly restricts any person from being President for more than two terms, or eight years.
The former Appeal Court President explained that Jonathan completed the tenure of the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s term before winning an election of his own, making any further attempt unlawful.
He stressed that if Jonathan contests and wins, the victory would not stand. The courts, he said, would nullify such a mandate.
Salami said: “It is painstakingly and dispassionately demonstrated abundantly to all and sundry that the ambition of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to contest for the office of the president for the second term in the 2027 general election is effectively and undoubtedly shot down.
“My advice to the political class angling up in his support to heed the warning, caveat emptor usually directed to land speculators to be aware.
“In an event of his winning the election he will be conveniently removed by the Court of Appeal in an election petition to that court which removal will be undoubtedly affirmed by the Supreme Court on the ground that his total tenure would have exceeded the eight years maximum tenure.”
He added: “It seems to me, however, that the interpretation of the amendment is not strictly in contention.
“What is in issue, to my mind, is the eligibility of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to seek the office of the president in the 2027 general election, being a person who exhausted the remainder of the term for which Umoru Musa Yar’Adua was elected president.
“It is his case that the amendment to the Constitution cannot take a retroactive effect.This argument has probably lost sight of two points of view.”
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