A lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, on Monday, urged the Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja to bar ex-President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
Citing constitutional grounds, Mr Jideobi urged the court docket to difficulty an order of perpetual injunction, restraining Mr Jonathan from presenting himself to any political celebration within the nation for the aim of collaborating within the ballot.
He additionally urged the court docket to restrain the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) from accepting from any political celebration MrJonathan’s identify or publishing identical as a duly nominated candidate for the election.
Th Information Company of Nigeria (NAN) reviews that Mr Jideobi sued the previous president within the swimsuit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025.
Within the swimsuit filed on Monday (6 October), the lawyer joined INEC and the Legal professional-Common of the Federation (AGF) as co-defendants.
He sought one query for willpower, which is:
“Whether or not in view of the mixed provisions of the whole lot Sections 1(1), (2) & (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and their conflated interpretation, the first defendant is eligible, below any circumstances [whatsoever] to contest for the workplace of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?”
Citing Sections 1(1), (2) & (3) and 137(3) of the Nigerian structure, he argued that INEC lacks the constitutional energy to obtain Mr Jonathan’s identify from any political celebration for election into the workplace of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria holding in 2027 and different years to return.
He additionally sought an order directing the third defendant (AGF) to make sure compliance with the selections and orders of this court docket.”
In an affidavit of info that was deposed in help of the swimsuit by one Emmanuel Agida, the plaintiff instructed the court docket that he was an advocate of constitutionalism and the rule of legislation.
He instructed the court docket that Mr Jonathan was first sworn in as Nigeria’s president on Could 6, 2010, following the dying of then President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on Could 5, 2010, having beforehand been the Vice-President.
He mentioned he not too long ago noticed on varied nationwide dailies and tv stations reviews on Mr Jonathan’s intention to contest for presidency in 2027.
“That the plaintiff believes that the first defendant, having accomplished the unexpired time period of late President Yar’Adua and subsequently served a full time period after the 2011 election, has exhausted the constitutional restrict of two tenures as president.
“That if the court docket doesn’t intervene timeously, a political celebration could current the first defendant as its presidential candidate within the 2027 normal election, thereby breaching the structure,” Mr Jideobi wrote.
On his locus standi (authorized proper) to institute the motion, the plaintiff maintained that a part of his duties as a lawyer, is to forestall a violation of the structure and to uphold the rule of legislation.
“There are possibilities that one of many political events in Nigeria could favour the first defendant to face as its presidential candidate within the forthcoming 2027 normal elections to be performed and overseen by the 2nd defendant.
”If unchallenged, the first defendant could enter the 2027 presidential race on the platform of one of many political events in Nigeria and should probably emerge the winner of the mentioned election.
“Within the occasion the first defendant is returned as elected and sworn because the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are available 2027, it can mark the third time the first defendant will likely be taking oath of workplace because the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Within the occasion the first defendant is returned as elected and sworn because the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are available 2027, the plaintiff as a Nigerian citizen, would grow to be a type of below the governance management of the first defendant [who by virtue of his office would be saddled with the responsibility of executing the laws of the country].
“As a Nigerian lawyer skilled in Nigerian constitutional legislation, the plaintiff has come throughout a provision within the Nigerian structure stating that an individual who was sworn in as President to finish the time period for which one other individual was elected as President shall not be elected to such workplace for greater than a single time period.
“The plaintiff is aware of that the first defendant was certainly, on the 6 Could 2010, sworn in as President to finish the time period for which (former) President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was elected as President as a consequence of the demise of the previous President on the fifth day of Could, 2010.
“The first defendant, after being sworn in on 6 Could 2010 to finish the time period of late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, was subsequently elected into the workplace of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and sworn in on 27 Could 2011.
”I do know that if the first defendant ultimately wins the forthcoming 2027 normal election as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (which is for a time period of 4 years spanning 2027 to 2031), he could have exceeded eight years being the cumulative most years a Nigerian President is to remain in workplace.
“The plaintiff has instituted this swimsuit within the public curiosity, within the defence of the rule of legislation and accentuation of the supremacy of the Structure and to protect the integrity of the Nigerian Constitutional order.
READ ALSO: What did Goodluck Jonathan neglect on the Villa?, By Osmund Agbo
The swimsuit is but to be assigned to a decide.
PREMIUM TIMES reviews that, though some opposition politicians belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have known as on Mr Jonathan to hunt reelection in 2027, the previous president has but to publicly make any remark confirming or denying any curiosity in operating to return to the Presidential Villa.
His identify has been talked about in all of the election cycles as a possible candidate after he misplaced his re-election bid in 2015 to former President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.
(NAN)
