A Federal High Court in Abuja has given the nod for former President Goodluck Jonathan to participate in the 2027 presidential race.
The trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu held in a judgment on Tuesday, that Jonathan could participate in the election as a contestant.
The Court went ahead to awarded a N20 million fine against the appellant and in favour of the ex-president.
Justice Lifu also awarded a One million Naira fine against the plaintiff and in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, who is the plaintiff in the suit sought to stop Jonathan from vying in the 2027 presidential election, filing a motion before the court.
In the judgement, Justice Lifu held that Jideobi 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 poll.
The judge, who noted that a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and an Appeal Court had already held that Jonathan was eligible to run, said he was bound by the decision of the appellate Court.
The judge while describing the lawyer’s suit as an abuse of Court process, also dismissed Jideobi’s motion seeking the judge’s withdrawal from the case for being frivolous.
On the last adjourned date, former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, urged the trial judge to dimiss the lawyer’s motion seeking his withdrawal from the case.
Jonathan and Fagbemi, through their lawyers, told Justice Lifu to dismiss the motion with sunstantial cost.
The plaitiff had filed a motion on notice asking the judge to withdraw from the case, citing alleged bias.
Responding, counsel to the Ex- President, Chris Uche, SAN, vehemently opposed Jideobi’s motion, describing the application as frivolous, baseless and founded on gross misrepresentation.
Uche, who urged the judge to discountenance the application as constituting a gross abuse of the court process, prayed the court to dismiss same with substantial cost and proceed with the case.
In the same vein, Fagbemi’s lawyer also prayed the judge to dismiss the motion, submitting that a judge may recuse himself from a case if he feels that his involvement will affect the impartiality of the suit.
The AGF argued that in the instant motion, there was an abuse of court process.
The lawyer also urged the Court to dismiss the plaintiiff’s motion as being baseless, unmeritirious and unfounded on proper provisions of the law.
Part of the plaintiff’s prayer was for the Court to stop INEC from accepting, processing or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.
He also 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 of Nigeria again.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
