Presidency: Nigeria not snubbed in UN Human Rights Council election

The Presidency has debunked reports that Nigeria was snubbed in the 2024 United Nations Human Rights Council election.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made this known in a statement on Sunday, October 13, 2024.

On October 9, the UN General Assembly elected 18 members to the Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term.

The council is an intergovernmental body within the UN system consisting of 47 states and tasked with promoting and protecting human rights globally.

Benin, Bolivia, Colombia, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Iceland, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Mexico, North Macedonia, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and Thailand were among the newly elected members.

In the African regional group, the endorsed candidates – Benin, Gambia, Kenya, DRC, and Ethiopia – successfully secured all five available seats.

Onanuga, however, noted that there was no competition in the African regional group, as the continent fielded the same number of candidates as available seats.

Onanuga said Nigeria did not stand as a candidate for this cycle of elections, just like it did not stand for election in 2023 when a Nigerian medium reported that the country earned three votes.

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He stated: “The same lie was rehashed in the erroneous report in circulation. Again, we restate that Nigeria was not on the ballot in the election held on 9 October.

“Whatever vote was recorded for our country must have been cast in error in the secret balloting by some countries which thought Nigeria was on the ballot.

“For those conversant with elections into international organisations, especially to prestigious bodies like the Human Rights Council, countries vying for positions usually receive regional endorsements.”

The presidential spokesman noted that the regional bloc endorsed Benin and Gambia, both members of ECOWAS, for the 2025-2027 term.

Onanuga added: “Given Nigeria’s continued leadership in fostering African unity, the nation focused on supporting the endorsed candidates to promote collective African representation.

“This has been the hallmark of President Bola Tinubu’s leadership on the continent. This strategic approach aligns with Nigeria’s long-standing diplomatic efforts to ensure Africa speaks with a united voice on the global stage.

“The media should cross-check their information before rushing to press. There was no sign this was done with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or our country’s mission in New York.

“As Nigerians, we should not be quick to disparage or drag our country, especially on international matters.”

The Star