By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria’s former president, Mr Goodluck Jonathan, may contest the 2027 presidential election if he wishes, as a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed a suit filed by a lawyer, Mr Johnmary Jideobi, seeking to stop him from contesting.

Justice Peter Lifu flung the suit and also awarded a N20 million fine against Mr Jideobi and in favour of the ex-president. He equally awarded a N1 million fine against the plaintiff and in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

The judge held that Mr Jideobi lacked the legal right to have instituted the suit, having not suffered any loss from his perceived Mr Jonathan’s intention to vie for next year’s poll.

The judge, who said that a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and an Appeal Court had already held that Mr Jonathan was eligible to run, said he was bound by the decision of the appellate court. He described the lawyer’s suit as “an abuse of court process”.

Justice Lifu also dismissed Mr Jideobi’s motion seeking the judge’s withdrawal from the case for being frivolous.

Mr Jideobi had sued Mr Jonathan, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and AGF as the 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively.

Mr Jonathan is a former president of Nigeria. He first assumed power in 2010 after the death of ex-President Musa Yar’Adua. The Bayelsa-born politician served as vice president under Mr Yar’Adua and took over when the late president first fell sick.

A year later, he contested and won the 2011 presidential election. But in 2015, Mr Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated him, the first time an incumbent had lost a presidential election since the return of democracy in 1999.

Upon his exit from office, he has taken on a more diplomatic role despite calls for him to run in recent elections.

However, the 2027 polls have seen increased support for the former Nigerian leader, who has actively moved away from partisan politics since 2015.

Recently, Mr Jonathan told some youths under the Coalition for Goodluck Jonathan that he would consult before deciding on the matter.

“Yes, you are asking me to come and contest the next elections,” the former president told the group when members visited him in Abuja.

“The presidential race is not a computer game, but I’ve heard you, and I’ll consult widely,” he added.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited on Monday said it is partnering with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to chart a path for African energy development.

A statement by the company noted that the partnership was discussed last week, when the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Mr Bashir Ojulari, received in audience the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Afreximbank, Mr George Elombi, at the NNPC Towers, Abuja.

NNPC said it set out its direction under the Enterprise First framework, positioning the company as a high-performance Partner of Choice built on execution and profitable growth.

Afterwards, both leaders agreed on a shared agenda for continental energy development and industrialisation, and to hold regular strategic sessions, the first session scheduled later in the year.

On financing, the state oil company said it led the discussion on the planned African Energy Bank (AEB), to be headquartered in Abuja, and confirmed its readiness to deepen its investment.

The Cairo-based lender was instrumental in the founding and funding of the energy bank that is soon to be operational.

Afreximbank affirmed its commitment to the company’s growth through risk-sharing, structured financing, and further refinancing to develop Nigeria’s oil and gas resources, the statement added.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

To close Nigeria’s $158 billion funding gap for 40 million small businesses, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has joined forces with MTN Nigeria to operate a platform known as mySMEville Academy.

The aim is to reach a target of 5 million MSMEs through the mySMEville Academy, e-commerce integrations, and national policy advocacy.

The platform was created as a one-stop shop for resources, with four core areas: information, funding, infrastructure, and markets, to support a sector that contributes 48 per cent of Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) but remains largely underserved.

On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, SMEDAN visited MTN’s head office alongside Angola’s INAPEM, the National Institute of Support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Angola’s agency is studying the collaboration between MTN and SMEDAN, which led to the launch of the mySMEville partnership in November 2025.

After a pilot in Lagos onboarded 200 businesses in December, the platform rapidly grew to include over 2,600 businesses nationwide by May 2026. This rapid expansion is essential given that 80 per cent of Nigerian SMEs are currently informal and only 3.9 per cent access formal credit, leaving a staggering $158 billion annual financing gap.

Emphasising the strategic necessity of this collaboration, the Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Nigeria, Ms Lynda Saint-Nwafor, said, “Our goal is simple, we want to be the best technology partner out there, helping African businesses grow fast, compete globally, and make a real, lasting impact.”

Supporting this view, the Director-General of SMEDAN, Mr Charles Odii, said the initiative represents the future of business on the continent, asserting that

“What we are witnessing here is a formidable force for economic progress. Through this deliberate Public-Private Partnership, Nigeria is aligning its public and private sectors to lead the way for Africa,” he stated.

On his part, the Senior Specialist for ICT Segment Management at MTN Business, Mr Olatunbosun Agosu, demonstrated with a live demo how the mySMEville platform, a joint effort by MTN and SMEDAN, is the “one-stop orchestrator” for Nigeria’s 40 million small businesses.

INAPEM’s Chairman, Mr Bráulio Augusto, confirmed that Angola intends to adapt the framework to its own economic reality, noting, “The key thing I learned here is the strength of the public and private sector partnership. mySMEville clearly shows what’s possible, and we will absolutely use these insights as we adapt this model back home in Angola.”