The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday rebuked a plaintiff, Johnmary Jideobi, and his counsel, Ndubuisi Ukpai, over what it described as a lack of diligence in prosecuting a suit seeking to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
Justice Peter Lifu, who expressed displeasure at the conduct of the plaintiff and his lawyer, imposed a fine of N1m on Jideobi in favour of the former president.
The judge described the attitude of the plaintiff and his counsel—particularly their repeated absence in court and failure to take necessary steps to advance the case—as “unacceptable,” noting that their actions had stalled proceedings.
Justice Lifu observed that although the suit was filed on October 6, 2025, the plaintiff had yet to serve key defendants, including the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Attorney-General of the Federation, six months after instituting the action.
He further noted that counsel to Jonathan, Chris Uche (SAN), had earlier informed the court that the defence only became aware of the suit through media reports, prompting them to file their processes and respond accordingly.
The court also frowned at the absence of both the plaintiff and his counsel at a previous sitting despite personally fixing the hearing time.
At Friday’s proceedings, counsel to the former president urged the court to dismiss the case with substantial costs, citing what he described as the plaintiff’s “disdain and disrespect” for the judicial process.
Uche argued that the plaintiff had abandoned the case after dragging a former Commander-in-Chief to court, stressing that such conduct amounted to an abuse of court process.
“The plaintiff believes he can hold the court and parties to ransom while remaining in the comfort of his home. There must be consequences for such actions,” he said.
Counsel representing the Attorney-General of the Federation, J.D. Esho, informed the court that while her office had been served with Jonathan’s response, it was yet to receive the originating processes from the plaintiff.
The court registrar also confirmed that although INEC had received a hearing notice, it had not been served with the substantive suit.
Midway into the proceedings, Ukpai entered the courtroom and apologised for his lateness, attributing it to a vehicle breakdown.
“My lord, I apologise. Our vehicle broke down on the way,” he said.
After listening to submissions from counsel, Justice Lifu adjourned the matter until May 18 for the hearing of all pending applications and the substantive suit.
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