Breaking: Court Declares Goodluck Jonathan Eligible To Contest 2027 Presidential Election

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has given former President Goodluck Jonathan the go-ahead to contest the 2027 presidential election.

The court, in its ruling on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, held that Jonathan was 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 sought an order of the court to restrain 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 the former president was still competent to seek election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria having regard to Sections 1 ( 1 ) , ( 2 ) , ( 3 ) and 137 ( 3 ) of the 1999 Constitution.

Jonathan, who was president from 2010 to 2015, has been reported to have been linked with a possible return to the presidential race ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Jonathan Waiver of PDP Faction
The court ruling comes 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 reignited fresh political debate over whether the former president could legally reenter the race after his previous term.

But in a ruling Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu said Jonathan could challenge the election.

The ruling effectively removed a legal hurdle that could have barred the former president from contesting any political party ticket ahead of the 2027 poll.

Justice Lifu held that the former president was not disqualified from contesting 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.