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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Court clears ex-President Jonathan to contest 2027 presidential election

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that former President Goodluck Jonathan is eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election.
  • The court dismissed a lawsuit seeking to bar Jonathan, fining the lawyer who filed the suit and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
  • Justice Peter Lifu stated that previous court decisions had already affirmed Jonathan's eligibility and described the lawsuit as an abuse of the court process.

Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has been cleared by a Federal High Court in Abuja to participate in the 2027 presidential election. The ruling, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu on Tuesday, dismisses a lawsuit that sought to prevent Jonathan from contesting.

The court not only dismissed the case but also imposed fines. A N20 million fine was levied against the lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, who initiated the suit. Additionally, a one-million naira fine was awarded in favor of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

The lawyer lacked the legal right to have instituted the suit, having not suffered any loss from his perceived Jonathan’s intention to vie for the next year’s poll.

· Justice Peter LifuThe judge explaining the basis for dismissing the lawsuit against former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Justice Lifu emphasized that the lawyer lacked the legal standing to bring the case, as he had not suffered any demonstrable loss from Jonathan's potential bid for the presidency. The judge further noted that prior rulings by a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and an appellate court had already established Jonathan's eligibility to run for office. Bound by these previous decisions, Justice Lifu characterized the lawyer's suit as a "frivolous abuse of court process."

an abuse of court process

· Justice Peter LifuThe judge's description of the lawsuit filed to prevent Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 election.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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