- The Federal High Court in Abuja has strongly condemned the lack of diligent prosecution in a suit seeking to disqualify former President Goodluck Jonathan from the 2027 presidential election.
- Justice Peter Lifu on Friday imposed a ₦1 million fine on the plaintiff, Johnmary Jideobi, and his counsel, Ndubuisi Ukpai, for stalling the case through administrative failures and repeated absences.
- Noting the time-sensitive nature of political cases, the court ordered the plaintiff to serve all originating processes to INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation immediately, ahead of a definite hearing on May 18, 2026.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has expressed deep dissatisfaction over the handling of a lawsuit aimed at barring former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential race.
Eko Hot Blog reports that The Presiding Judge, Justice Peter Lifu, rebuked the plaintiff, lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, for frustrating judicial proceedings since the matter was first instituted on October 6, 2025.
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Despite the suit spanning over six months, the court found it “crystal clear” that the plaintiff had failed to formally serve the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) with the originating summons.
The defense team, led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN, revealed that the former president only learned of the eligibility suit through media reports.
Expressing heavy frustration at the plaintiff’s failure to show up for multiple scheduled hearings, Uche accused Jideobi of showing “absolute disdain” for the judiciary by holding the court and a former Commander-in-Chief to ransom.
Although Jonathan’s legal team initially requested ₦5 million in damages, Justice Lifu mitigated the penalty to a ₦1 million fine awarded strictly in favor of the first defendant.
With the 2027 election timetable already in view, Justice Lifu emphasized that political litigations demand accelerated hearings as a matter of public policy.
To ensure the case is resolved expeditiously, the judge issued a strict directive compelling the plaintiff to serve INEC and the AGF within two hours of the ruling.
The secondary and tertiary defendants have been ordered to file their formal responses before 11:00 am on Monday, May 18, 2026, when the court will reconvene for a definitive hearing on the substantive eligibility challenge.
