Former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, has said that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan is constitutionally barred from contesting in Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election.
In a written opinion released on Thursday, Justice Salami explained that the Nigerian Constitution restricts anyone from holding the office of president for more than eight years, regardless of how the individual first assumed power.
He noted that Jonathan, who became president in 2010 following the death of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and later won election in 2011, had already served out a full constitutional term and part of another.
Salami warned that any future attempt by Jonathan to contest would violate the law, saying that such a move “is effectively and undoubtedly shot down” by the Constitution.
“It is painstakingly and dispassionately demonstrated that the ambition of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to contest again in the 2027 general election is inconsistent with the constitutional provisions limiting presidential tenure,” he said.
Legal experts have long debated whether Jonathan, who lost the 2015 election to Muhammadu Buhari, could seek another term. Justice Salami’s statement now adds weight to arguments that any such attempt would likely face judicial rejection.