A Federal High Court in Abuja has given lawyers until May 15 to argue a case challenging former President Goodluck Jonathan's eligibility for 2027. Justice Peter Lifu made the directive on Monday after multiple parties failed to show up in court.
Plaintiff Johnmary Jideobi and his legal team didn't appear for the hearing. INEC and the Attorney General's office, both defendants in the matter, were also absent.
Chris Uche, the senior lawyer representing Jonathan, seized the opportunity immediately. He asked the judge to dismiss the suit for lack of serious prosecution.
According to Uche, the plaintiff had clearly abandoned the case. He also requested N5 million in damages payable to Jonathan if the suit got struck out.
Uche argued the court shouldn't waste time on frivolous matters. He suggested Jideobi fled after seeing the preliminary objections filed against his suit.
Justice Lifu, however, took a different view of the situation. He noted that hearing notices hadn't been properly served on INEC or the Attorney General's office.
The judge called this failure "fundamental" to fair proceedings. Rather than dismiss the case, he decided to give everyone another chance.
Lifu ordered fresh hearing notices served on all parties before May 15. He made clear this would be the final opportunity for the matter to proceed.
Jideobi's lawsuit targets a core constitutional question about Jonathan's political future. He's asking the court to bar Jonathan from running for president in 2027.
The suit also seeks to prevent INEC from accepting Jonathan's candidacy documents. Jideobi wants clarity on whether the former president can legally contest again.
In his arguments, Jideobi claims Jonathan has exhausted his constitutional term limits. He points to Jonathan's assumption of office in May 2010 after Umaru Yar'Adua died.
Jonathan inherited Yar'Adua's remaining tenure, Jideobi contends in court filings. He then won and completed a full four-year term following the 2011 election.
That adds up to roughly ten years in office, according to the plaintiff's calculation. Jideobi argues the 1999 Constitution limits any president to two terms maximum.
An affidavit supporting the suit came from Emmanuel Agida. Agida stated that media reports of Jonathan's 2027 ambitions prompted the legal action.
"The plaintiff believes the first defendant has exhausted the constitutional limit," Agida's sworn statement read. He referenced sections dealing with presidential eligibility in Nigeria's Constitution.
Jideobi's core fear is straightforward and urgent. He worries a political party could nominate Jonathan without legal restrictions if courts don't intervene now.
The May 15 hearing date gives both sides time to prepare substantive arguments. It remains unclear whether Jideobi will actually appear this time around.
