Former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, on Monday asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to reject a motion filed by a lawyer seeking the recusal of the presiding judge from their ongoing case.
The motion, filed by Johnmary Jideobi, the plaintiff in a suit challenging Jonathan’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election alleged bias on the part of Justice Peter Lifu, Jideobi’s lawyer, Ndubuisi Ukpai, deposed to the motion on notice, requesting the judge withdraw from the case.
In response, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, representing Jonathan, opposed the motion, describing it as frivolous, baseless, and a gross misrepresentation of facts. Uche submitted a counter affidavit and urged the court to dismiss the application with substantial costs, asserting that the plaintiff’s claims had already been dismissed as false and perjured.
Similarly, the AGF, represented by Mrs. Maimuna Lami-Shiru, Director of Civil Litigation and Public Law at the Federal Ministry of Justice, argued that the motion constituted an abuse of court process. She emphasized that a judge may recuse himself only if there is a genuine concern of partiality, which was not the case here.
Lami-Shiru also requested that the court award N2 million in costs in favor of the ministry. Both Jonathan and Fagbemi urged the court to dismiss the main suit and the recusal motion with substantial costs.
Justice Lifu has now scheduled May 26, 2026, for the delivery of judgment on the matter.
The case continues to attract nationwide attention as it concerns political eligibility, judicial fairness, and the 2027 presidential elections.
