The Kabiru Turaki-led faction of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has welcomed the federal high court ruling dismissing a suit challenging former President Goodluck Jonathan’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Gatekeepers News reports that delivering judgement in Abuja on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu held that the plaintiff, JohnMary Jideobi, lacked the legal standing to institute the case because he failed to show how Jonathan’s possible participation in the election affected him personally.
The court subsequently struck out the suit and awarded a N20 million cost against the plaintiff in favour of the former president.
Reacting to the judgement, Ini Ememobong, spokesperson of the Turaki faction of the PDP, described the verdict as a victory for both democracy and constitutional interpretation. He argued that laws cannot be applied retroactively and maintained that the case was unnecessary from the outset.
Ememobong further described the suit as frivolous and an abuse of judicial process, praising the court for imposing punitive costs on the plaintiff. According to him, the sanction would discourage politically motivated lawsuits aimed at distracting the courts and destabilising the democratic process.
He added that the ruling has now removed every legal obstacle standing in the way of Jonathan’s possible return to the presidential race, describing it as a rescue mission for the country.
The development comes days after the PDP waived its screening requirements for Jonathan, who emerged as the party’s sole presidential aspirant ahead of the primary election scheduled for May 28.
