BREAKING: JONATHAN FREE TO CONTEST 2027 ELECTION, COURT RULES

May 26, 2026 • Dons Eze • 1 min read

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has cleared former President Goodluck Jonathan to participate in the 2027 presidential race.

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under the leadership of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, last week offered a waiver to Jonathan as the only presidential candidate of the party.

But one Johnmary Jideobi had instituted a suit seeking an order restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

The plaintiff had earlier asked the court to stop INEC from accepting, processing or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.

He asked the court to determine whether, having regard to Sections 1(1), (2), (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, Jonathan remains eligible to seek the office of president again.

But in his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu held that Jonathan could participate in the election as a contestant.

Dons Eze

DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.