Steve Martin has said he intends to sit in the Senate after the high court ruled he was eligible to replace Jacqui Lambie. Martin ruled out the possibility of handing the seat back to Lambie.

On Tuesday the high court unanimously held that Martin’s roles as councillor and mayor of Devonport were not an “office of profit under the crown”, a disqualification under section 44 of the constitution.

The decision clears the way for Martin, the Jacqui Lambie Network’s second-ranked candidate at the 2016 election, to take the seat vacated when Lambie resigned over dual citizenship.

Lambie had put pressure on Martin to resign and pave the way for her return, telling Sky News on Saturday that if she were in his position she would be “extremely loyal and step down”.

“It’s a question of personal morality,” she said.

Martin told Guardian Australia he intended to take the seat, as he had planned “all the way through” the legal process to clarify his eligibility.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity of working for the people of Tasmania, and that’s it,” he said, when asked if Lambie could pressure him to stand aside.

Martin said he had texted Lambie to inform her he was eligible but had received no response.

Earlier, outside the court, Martin said he was pleased the constitutional position of mayors and local government councillors who decided to run for federal parliament had been cleared up.

“You don’t have to quit your job to apply for a job without knowing the outcome – that is what it was all about,” he said of the case.

Lawyers for unsuccessful One Nation candidate Kate McCulloch argued Martin should have been disqualified.

Martin’s legal team argued the offices were not “under the crown” because of their high degree of independence from the executive government.

The court is now awaiting a submission from the attorney general to formalise Martin’s position.

Lambie has signalled her intention to return to the Senate, which she could do at the next half Senate election. Before her resignation, Lambie had secured a six-year term meaning Martin will not be up for re-election until 2022.