2023: Why ex-President Jonathan cannot contest — Falana

Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has said that former President Goodluck Jonathan is not eligible to contest the 2023 presidential election.

Jonathan has been rumoured to be vying for the number one seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the former President is disqualified under the law.

The legal luminary, in a statement on Thursday, said Jonathan is disqualified from contesting the 2023 presidential election by virtue of Section 137 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

He stated: “The former president is disqualified from contesting the election by virtue of Section 137 (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, which provides as follows:

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“A person who was sworn in to complete the term for which another person was elected as President shall not be elected to such office for more than a single term.”

Jonathan had said he was yet to decide whether or not to yield to pressure from different groups urging him to contest the 2023 presidential election.

He said this while replying supporters, who protested at his office in Abuja last Friday, demanding that he should declare for the next year’s presidential election.

The former President, however, told his supporters to “just watch out”.

The Star