Former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami, has declared that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan cannot legally contest the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement released Tuesday, Salami said Jonathan is barred by Section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended by the Fourth Alteration Act No. 16 of 2018), which limits any individual from being elected president for more than two terms.
He warned that if Jonathan runs and wins, his election would be nullified by the Court of Appeal and upheld by the Supreme Court, as it would exceed the constitutionally allowed eight-year tenure.
Salami likened those backing Jonathan’s bid to “land speculators” who ignore legal warnings, stressing that the constitutional amendment applies retroactively and is binding.
According to him, the argument that the 2018 amendment cannot take retroactive effect is “misguided,” noting that retroactivity is prohibited only in criminal, not civil or constitutional, matters.
He maintained that the 2018 alteration must be interpreted as part of the 1999 Constitution itself, and therefore, Jonathan’s ambition to return as president is “dead on arrival.”
