Court Clears Jonathan To Contest 2015 Presidential Election

A Federal High Court in Kaduna on Monday struck out a suit seeking to restrain President Goodluck Jonathan from seeking re-election in the 2015 general elections brought before it by two leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The plaintiffs, Richard Mneaga, and Shuaibu Lill had sought for, among other prayers, an order of the court to disqualify Jonathan from presenting himself as a presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2015 election, and for the court to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to restrain the PDP from accepting nomination of Jonathan as its presidential candidate in the 2015 election.

In the suit, filed on October 7, 2013, they insisted that Jonathan had completed eight years in office as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria calculated from May 29, 2007.

The plaintiffs also sought for “a declaration that President Jonathan is not entitled to tenure of office as President exceeding eight years calculated from 2007, till last holder of the said office”.

Ruling on the case, the presiding judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike  said the plaintiffs lacked the locus standi to drag President Jonathan to court based on section 308 of the Constitution which gives him immunity not to  sue or be sued, and therefore affirmed that  Jonathan has the constitutional right to contest for presidency in 2015 if he so desire.

She also said the court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the matter since the plaintiffs did not follow the due process of filing their case, saying the petition was served out of jurisdiction. She however dismissed the case for lack of merit.

Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the plaintiffs, Mohammed Ibrahim, faulted the technicalities on which the judge relied to deliver her judgement instead of looking at the matter from its merit.

He, however, said they would proceed to the Appeal Court for further interpretation of the lower court judgement and also for the upper court to determine whether President Jonathan had the constitutional right to seek another term in office in 2015.

But Counsels to the first and second defendants, President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP, Nnamdi Ekwem and Victor Kwon respectively, hailed the judgment, describing it as another landmark victory for democracy and rule of law.

They faulted the petitioners for dragging Jonathan to court since he has not declared his intention to contest for the presidency in 2015.