Court fines plaintiff N1m over delay in Jonathan 2027 suit

A Federal High Court in Abuja has imposed a fine of N1 million on plaintiff Johnmary Jideobi for delaying a lawsuit that sought to bar former President Goodluck Jonathan from running in the 2027 presidential election.

Justice Peter Lifu attributed the delay to both Jideobi and his lawyer, Ndubuisi Ukpai, for not pursuing the case with the required diligence.

The judge directed that the N1 million penalty be paid to Jonathan and described the repeated postponements by the plaintiff and his counsel as unacceptable.

In his ruling, Justice Lifu emphasized that political cases must be handled swiftly, stating, “I have carefully and painstakingly considered all the submissions and prayers of the learned counsel in this matter. As this court has earlier ruled and ordered, this case has a character of politics.”

The court ordered Jideobi to serve all court processes on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney‑General of the Federation within two hours. It also directed the second and third defendants to file their responses by 11 am on 18 May 2026.

The case was adjourned until 18 May for a hearing. The court noted that, although the suit was filed on 6 October 2025, Jideobi had still not served INEC and the Attorney‑General with the originating processes.

Justice Lifu recalled that Jonathan’s lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, had previously informed the court that the former president only learned of the suit through media reports before being formally served.

The judge also observed that neither Jideobi nor his lawyer appeared in court on 11 May, despite a personal request to hear the matter at 2 pm that day.

According to the judge, Jonathan’s lawyer had sought N5 million in compensation, but the court reduced that amount in the interest of a fair hearing.