Politics
BREAKING: Jonathan Gets Clearance To Contest 2023 Presidency
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Court Says Jonathan’s Right To Contest for President In 2023 Can’t Be Stopped By Retroactive Law
- Ruling In Response To Fourth Alteration To Constitution Barring Vice-Presidents Who Succeeded Their Principals From Serving Beyond One Term
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that a Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, on Friday cleared former President Goodluck Jonathan to vie for the 2023 presidential election.
The court gave the ruling on Friday ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries slated for May 29 and 30, 2022.
Jonathan has been linked to the APC presidential race, with nomadic Fulani pastoralist and the Almajiri communities pulling resources together to purchase the N100 million nomination and expression of interest forms on his behalf.
However, there have been different positions on his eligibility for the 2023 presidential election, having been sworn in twice into the Office of President of the Federal Republic. Jonathan took over power when the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua died in 2010 and contested the 2011 election, which he won.
But on Friday, the court held that Jonathan, who lost the 2015 election to President Muhammadu Buhari, could still vie for the highest office in the land.
While delivering the judgement, the presiding judge, Justice Isa Hamma Dashen also held that Jonathan’s right to contest for the office of president in 2023 cannot be stopped by any retroactive law.
In an origination summons filed by Andy Solomon and Idibiye Abraham, the plaintiffs sought an order of the court stating that Jonathan is not affected by the fourth alteration to the 1999 Constitution barring Vice-Presidents who succeeded their principals from serving more than one full term.
APC, Jonathan and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are listed as defendants in the suit marked FHC/YNG/CS/86/2022 which is before Justice Isa Dashen.
It would be recalled that last month when he addressed some of his supporters who asked him to join the 2023 presidency race, Jonathan told them to “watch out”.
However, at the time the APC interest forms were procured on his behalf, Jonathan’s spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze, released a statement which read in part, “We wish to categorically state that Dr Jonathan was not aware of this bid and did not authorise it.
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- Bayelsa APC Says Jonathan Not Yet A Member
“We want to state that if the former president wanted to contest an election, he would make his intentions clear to the public and will not enter through the back door,” said Jonathan’s media office earlier this month.
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