A federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State will today rule on the eligibility of former president Jonathan to participate in the forthcoming All progressive Congress, APC primary election. The development comes up at a time as Jonathan has been granted a waiver to throw in his hat by the progressive into the contest, as APC cabals are speculated to be behind the move. A source disclosed that one of the Jonathan aids said, “The road is now fully clear, we give God the glory.” Another source revealed that the former president has been given a waiver to contest finally making him an eligible aspirant in APC, come Sunday.
An originating sermon originated by Andy Solomon and Adibiye Abraham prayed for a court order to declare that former President Jonathan is not affected by the fourth alteration to the constitution stopping vice presidents who succeeded their President from serving for more than one full term.
The suit marked FHC/YNG/CS/86/2022 which is before Justice Isa Dashen, listed the All Progressives Congress, Jonathan, and the Independent National Electoral Commission as defendants.
The plaintiff sorted for an ex-parte accelerated hearing due to limited time available as the APC presidential primaries are coming up on Sunday, 29 May.
The court has granted the prayer of the plaintiff for the accelerated hearing considering the nature of the suit before it.
The court directed that the respondent should be served with an enrolment order alongside the originating sermon and the defendant to file their responses. It was revealed that after affidavits, counter-affidavits and further affidavits had been filed, Justice Dashen fixed May 27 for judgment. Jonathan was Vice-President alongside the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007 and was inaugurated as President in 2010 following the death of Yar’Adua. In 2011, he ran for election and was again inaugurated
During the 2015 political tussle, while Jonathan seeks for another term, the court ruled that Jonathan was eligible to contest as his first inauguration was to complete the Yar’adua term.
However, President Buhari in 2018 signed an alteration order of the 1999 constitution barring vice presidents who succeeds their presidents from serving more than one term.
However, some legal luminaries argued that Jonathan should be exempted as it may appear retroactive on him since it was not clearly stated.
Meanwhile, it was learned that one of the Buhari powerful nephews, Mamman Daura was at the Jonathan's residence some days back, and speculators argued that his visit may be connected to the Jonathan's eligibility for the presidency.
However, former President Jonathan has given the condition that he can only come to APC if he is given a consensus ticket.
In a controversial manner, a Fulani group purchased a presidential form for President Jonathan last month asking him to contest.
Eventually, if the outcome from the court turns out to be in favor of Jonathan, he may be partaking in the APC presidential primaries slated for Sunday in Abuja.
As it is now in the APC, Buhari has left the Governors in a doubt as to who is his preferred candidate in the party, and also the party has failed to hold screening four days before the presidential primaries.
“Right now, only Buhari and the APC chairman (Adamu) really know what is going on. We are all confused,” said one of the APC Presidential aspirants who asked not to be named.
Meanwhile, James Faleke the founder, Tinubu Support Group, said he was confident of Tinubu’s victory provided that the primary is conducted in a free and fair manner.
Faleke said, “What we expect is for our party to follow the Electoral Act. It is their personal right of those visiting him to do,” but call on APC stalwarts to conduct free and fair primaries to avoid the party from collapsing.
