Former Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has been dragged to court over an alleged plan to contest in the 2027 presidential election.
A legal practitioner, (insert lawyer’s name if available), filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking a judicial declaration that Jonathan is constitutionally barred from contesting for the office of the President again.
In the suit, the lawyer argued that having previously been sworn in twice, first after the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2010, and again after winning the 2011 election, Jonathan cannot seek another term under the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
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According to the claimant, allowing the former president to contest would amount to a violation of Section 137(3) of the Constitution, which stipulates that no person who has been sworn in as President to complete another’s term shall serve more than one additional term.
The court is expected to fix a date for hearing in the matter.
Dr. Jonathan, who ruled Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, has yet to respond publicly to the suit or comment on claims linking him to a 2027 presidential bid.
Meanwhile, the development has stirred fresh political conversations, with many Nigerians recalling a similar legal controversy before the 2023 elections when speculations surfaced that the former president might return to the ballot.