A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has given former President Goodluck Jonathan the go-ahead to contest the 2027 presidential election.
In a ruling announced on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, the court ruled that Jonathan remained qualified to contest the election as a presidential contestant.
The judgement followed a suit filed by one Johnmary Jideobi who had asked the court to stop Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as a candidate for the 2027 presidential poll.
Jideobi also urged the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting, processing or publishing the name of Jonathan as a presidential candidate in the next general election.
The plaintiff appealed to the court to hold whether, having regard to Sections 1 ( 1 ) , ( 2 ) , ( 3 ) and 137 ( 3 ) of the 1999 Constitution, the former president was still competent to seek election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It was reported that Jonathan, who was president from 2010 to 2015, has been linked with a possible return to the presidential race ahead of the 2027 general elections.
PDP Faction’s Jonathan Waiver
The court ruling is coming days after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki reportedly offered Jonathan waiver to contest as the party’s sole presidential candidate.
The development had spurred fresh political debate over whether the former president could legally rejoin the race after his previous term.
But in a judgment Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that Jonathan could challenge the election.
The ruling effectively cleared a legal hurdle that could have prevented the former president from seeking any political party ticket ahead of the 2027 poll.
Justice Lifu held that the former president was not disqualified from challenging the election.
Although the court did not immediately release the full details of the ruling, the decision has now placed Jonathan among potential figures who may shape the political calculations ahead of the next presidential election.
