A Federal High Court in Abuja has criticised a plaintiff, Johnmary Jideobi, and his lawyer, Ndubuisi Ukpai, for what it described as poor handling and delays in a case seeking to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
Justice Peter Lifu expressed displeasure over what he called the “unacceptable” conduct of the plaintiff and his legal team, noting that their actions had repeatedly slowed down proceedings and shown disregard for the court’s time and process.
The judge also imposed a ₦1 million cost on the plaintiff, to be paid to Jonathan, following concerns about the lack of diligence in prosecuting the suit.
According to the court, the case—filed on October 6, 2025—had suffered significant delays, including failure to serve key defendants such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation months after filing.
Justice Lifu noted that even when the matter came up in court, the plaintiff and his counsel were absent, despite a hearing date fixed at their request. He also observed that no formal communication was made to explain their absence.
Counsel to the former president, Chris Uche (SAN), told the court that they only became aware of the case through media reports and had to promptly file and serve their responses. He urged the court to dismiss the suit, arguing that the plaintiff had shown disrespect for judicial process.
“The plaintiff cannot simply drag parties to court and then abandon the matter,” Uche argued, insisting that there must be consequences for such conduct.
The Attorney-General’s representative also informed the court that although responses had been filed by Jonathan’s legal team, the originating summons had not yet been properly served on their office.
Court officials further confirmed that INEC had been notified of the hearing but had also not received the plaintiff’s full processes.
When proceedings resumed, Ukpai arrived late and apologised, attributing his delay to a vehicle breakdown.
“I sincerely apologise for my late arrival,” he told the court.
After hearing submissions from all parties, Justice Lifu adjourned the matter to May 18 for the hearing of pending applications and continuation of the substantive suit.
