In a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP described the ruling as being in line with the law and “common sense.”
The Federal High Court, Abuja Division, had ruled that Jonathan remained eligible to seek the presidency despite previously taking the oath of office as president twice.
Reacting to the verdict, the PDP said the judgment correctly reflected the principle that laws could not be applied retroactively.
“This judgment is clearly in alignment with the law and common sense, as laws cannot have a retroactive or retrospective effect,” the statement read.
The opposition party also dismissed the suit challenging Jonathan’s eligibility, describing it as “vexatious” and “a gross abuse of court processes.”
According to the PDP, the legal action amounted to an unnecessary distraction that should never have been filed.
“The punitive cost against the plaintiff is also very much welcomed, to serve as a deterrent to intending busybodies and irritants, who make themselves available for use by those seeking to derail democracy,” the party stated.
The PDP further said the judgment, alongside the screening waiver earlier granted to Jonathan by the party, had now paved the way for his participation in the party’s presidential primary.
“This development, coupled with the screening waiver that our party had granted President Goodluck Jonathan, has made the pathway for his presidential rescue mission totally unfettered, especially as the primaries of the party to select all its candidates will hold on May 28, 2026,” the statement added.
