A Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has ruled that former President Goodluck Jonathan is constitutionally eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Delivering judgment, Justice Isa Dashen held that Jonathan’s swearing-in in 2010, following the death of then-President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, was an act of constitutional succession and not an election. The court further clarified that Jonathan had only been elected once, in 2011, which does not breach the constitutional limit of being elected president twice.
The court also addressed the 2017 constitutional amendment, which became effective in June 2018 and bars any person who completes another’s tenure from being elected more than once. Justice Dashen ruled that this provision cannot be applied retroactively, as Jonathan’s case predated the amendment.
With the judgment unchallenged as of now, the ruling paves the way for the former president to legally participate in the 2027 presidential race, scheduled for February 2027.
Reported by: Stone Reporters News
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