Nigeria, Sept. 30 -- "Section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, inserted by the Fourth Alteration Act, caps any successor who finishes another president's term at one further election leaving the former president ineligible for another run."

Few questions in Nigeria's contemporary constitutional discourse have stirred as much public curiosity as the recurring speculation about whether former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan can again contest for the nation's highest office. Every election cycle seems to revive the debate, fuelled by the nostalgia of his supporters and the intrigue of political strategists. Yet the law is unambiguous: Jonathan is constitutionally ineligible to return to the ballot. The answer lies not in political sentime...