The Presidency on Sunday dismissed media reports that Nigeria failed to get elected to United Nations General Assembly’s Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term, having received only three votes in the election held on October 9, 2024.
In a clarification on the development, President Bola Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said Nigeria dos not even contest for the position, but supported the regional candidates- Benin Republic and The Gambia – which were elected.
All the members elected to the Council are 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.
Reacting to media reports that Nigeria was snubbed and disgraced, Onanuga noted that in the African regional group, the endorsed candidates—Benin, Gambia, Kenya, DRC, and Ethiopia—successfully secured all five available seats.
He explained that “there was no competition in the African regional group, as the continent fielded the same number of candidates as available seats.
“Contrary to information circulating, Nigeria was not snubbed in this election, as some reports have falsely claimed.
“The country 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 sensationally reported that the country earned three votes.
“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 regional bloc endorsed Benin and Gambia, both members of ECOWAS, for the 2025-2027 term.”
