A lawsuit seeking to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election was delayed again on Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The case, being handled by Justice Peter Odo Lifu, could not continue because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was absent from court for the second time. INEC was also missing during the previous hearing on May 11.
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice also told the court that he had not received the court documents, so he could not file any response or appear officially in the case.
Because of these issues, the judge adjourned the matter to May 18 for proper hearing.
He also ordered the plaintiff to make sure all parties receive the necessary court documents and hearing notices.
Earlier, on May 11, the case was also postponed because the plaintiff and his lawyer failed to appear in court without explanation. At that hearing, INEC and the AGF were also absent.
Lawyer to Jonathan, Chris Uche (SAN), had asked the court to dismiss the case for lack of serious prosecution and requested a ₦5 million fine against the plaintiff.
In the main suit, lawyer Johnmary Jideobi is asking the court to stop Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election or seeking nomination from any political party.
He also wants the court to prevent INEC from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.
The plaintiff argued that Jonathan has already completed the constitutional limit of two terms in office.
He said Jonathan first took over as president in 2010 after the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and later won the 2011 election for a full four-year term.
According to the suit, allowing Jonathan to contest again would amount to taking the presidential oath for a third time, which the plaintiff claims is against the Nigerian Constitution.
The plaintiff said the case was filed in the public interest to protect the Constitution and Nigeria’s democracy.
