Goodluck dragged to court in quest to nullify his candidacy and prevent him standing come 2027

FORMER president Dr Goodluck Jonathan has been dragged to court in a bid to get him barred from standing in Nigeria's 2027 presidential elections amid signs that the government is getting jittery over rumours that he may indeed run.

Dr Jonathan, 67, was president between 2010 and 2015, in a rather complicated arrangement that saw him serve as acting president for a year before assuming office in 2010 when President Umaru Yar'Adua passed away in 2010. Dr Jonathan then stood and got elected in 2011 and was in office for a further four years before losing to President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 elections.

Nigeria's constitution only allows presidents to serve for two terms but it 2015, Dr Jonathan was deemed eligible to stand because he was not elected in his first term, having been elevated to the position from vice president. It is this decision that is now being contested in court after one of the former president's aides announced that he would be standing for election in two years time.

Earlier this week, Professor Jerry Gana, a former information minister, said that Dr Jonathan would be seeking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket in 2027. This promoted the immediate filing of a law suit on Monday as a lawyer, Johnmary Chukwukasi Jideobi went to the Federal High Court in Abuja asking it to nullify Dr Jonathan's candidacy.

Speaking in Minna on Monday, Professor Gana said, “In 2015, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said his ambition is not worth the blood of Nigerians. After him, another president ruled for eight years and now another has ruled for two years.

“Nigerians have seen the difference and the difference is very clear. Nigerians are now asking us to bring back our friend, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. I can confirm that Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will contest the presidential election in 2027 as PDP candidate and you will vote for him to return as president again.”

Apparently, ever since that comment was made, the presidency has not hidden the fact that it is uncomfortable with Dr Jonathan joining the presidential race. In what is believed to be a government-back law suit, Mr Jideobi has asked the court to issue an order of perpetual injunction, restraining Dr Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party in the country for the purpose of contesting the 2027 presidential election.

He  is also urging the court to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting from any political party, Dr Jonathan’s name or publishing same as a duly nominated candidate for the presidential contest. Last week, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, attacked the record of Dr Jonathan’s presidency, saying the former leader’s performance in office was disastrous.

Mr Onanuga said: “Let us remind ourselves about Jonathan’s record. We cannot forget in a hurry how his regime, devoid of any clear economic agenda, engaged in frivolous spending, ran the economy aground and put the country in dire straits.

“However, Jonathan will have his date in the court of the land. Indeed, the jury will determine whether Jonathan, who was sworn in twice as president, satisfies the constitutional requirements and is eligible to contest the presidency and be sworn in, if successful, for a third term in office.”

Dr Jonathan himself is yet to comment on the matter or declare whether he intends to run or not despite the declarations of people like Professor Gana. However, the incumbent Tinubu administration and ruling All Progressives Congress appears not to e waiting for him to make a declaration before attacking the thought of him standing.