Robert Clarke, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), commended the judgment of the presidential election petition tribunal, describing it as “the correct one.†Clarke’s remarks came in response to the tribunal’s ruling on the eligibility of Vice-President Kashim Shettima, which was a subject of contention.
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) had filed a suit challenging the eligibility of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima to contest in the February 25 election. Despite a previous Supreme Court dismissal of the double nomination case, the presidential election tribunal ruled on Wednesday that the APM’s petition lacked merit and that the party was not qualified to challenge the eligibility of a candidate in a different political party.
In a recent interview on Arise TV, Clarke expressed his acceptance of the tribunal’s ruling, saying, “It is not a surprise to many of us, but we have learned a lot from what has happened now.†He noted that the decision would likely be appealed to the Supreme Court, as it raised important legal questions.
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“I am of the view that this particular point of law that has just been adjudged upon is necessarily going to be a point of appeal to the supreme court,†Clarke said. He anticipated that the Supreme Court would revisit and provide further clarification on the matter, emphasizing that this ruling was not the final judgment.
The senior advocate underscored the significance of the tribunal’s decision in shedding light on pre-election matters. “I agree with the tribunal that this is a pre-election matter, and cannot be handled by this tribunal because, by law, the electoral act upon which the tribunal is acting only allows it to look into the conduct of an election and not to look at matters that are not part of the election procedure,†Clarke explained.
