The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the Federal High Court judgement affirming the eligibility of former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election has cleared every obstacle to what it described as his “presidential rescue mission,” just days before the party’s primaries.
In a statement on Tuesday signed by its Interim National Working Committee spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, the party welcomed the judgement delivered by the court in Abuja, saying it aligned with “the law and common sense.”
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“This development, coupled with the screening waiver that our party had granted President Goodluck Jonathan, has made the pathway for his presidential rescue mission totally unfettered, especially as the primaries of the party to select all its candidates will hold this weekend,” the statement said.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the Makinde-backed PDP adopted Mr Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
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The PDP also described the suit challenging Mr Jonathan’s eligibility as “vexatious” and “a gross abuse of court processes.”
Background to the judgement
The suit instituted by an Abuja-based lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi sought to stop Mr Jonathan from contesting another presidential election on the grounds that he had twice taken the oath of office as president.
The legal argument stemmed from Section 137(3) of the Nigerian Constitution, which bars a person from taking the oath of office as president more than twice.
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Mr Jonathan first assumed office in May 2010 following the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua and later won the 2011 presidential election, serving until May 2015 when he lost his re-election bid to former President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, the constitutional amendment containing Section 137(3) was introduced after Mr Jonathan had already completed his tenure in office, forming the basis of the court’s decision that the provision could not be applied retroactively against him.
The Federal High Court consequently held that Mr Jonathan remains constitutionally qualified to seek election into the presidency again.
The PDP, in its reaction, argued that laws “cannot have a retroactive or retrospective effect.”
The party further welcomed the punitive cost awarded against the plaintiff, saying it would deter persons seeking to use litigation to “derail democracy.”
Jonathan and renewed speculation
Mr Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president between 2010 and 2015, has repeatedly been linked with possible presidential bids since leaving office.
Although he has not publicly declared interest in the 2027 election, political groups and influential actors within the PDP have continued to pressure him to return to the race amid the party’s internal crisis and efforts to rebuild after successive electoral losses.
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