Tribunal’s dismissal of petition challenging Shettima’s qualification correct – Robert Clarke

Senior Advocate of Nigeria and elder statesman, Chief Robert Clarke, has thrown his support for the Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel of the Presidential Petition Election Tribunal which struck out Allied Peoples Movement’s petition challenging the qualification of Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

Recall that the tribunal dismissed the petition on Wednesday, September 6, saying it was a pre-election matter and ought to have been challenged before the conduct of the presidential election.

Clarke who reacted to the judgement while appearing on Arise TV, said it was obvious that the case brought by APM to disqualify Shettima was not in the jurisdiction of the tribunal.

He said;

“The Constitution only allows the Tribunal to look into the conduct of an election and not to look at the matters that are not part of the election.

“But, what I’m saying is that there are two sides of the coin. The litigants have gotten the judgment of the tribunal, but can still go to the Supreme Court whether the matter is a pre-election matter or not.

“The tribunal is correct. I have no hesitation in saying I accept the verdict of the tribunal. By the virtue of the provision of our own law, our constitution either of the parties may wish to apply.”