Nigeria Solicits Int’l Community’s Support For Elias As Candidate For International Court of Justice

Nigeria, yesterday in New York, solicited the support of the international community for Dr Taoheed Elias as the country’s candidate for election to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Dunoma Ahmed, while presenting Elias to the diplomatic corps at Nigeria House, solicited their governments’ support in the forthcoming elections.
The World Court has a panel of 15 judges elected by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council for a nine-year term.
An election to fill the vacancy left by Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf of somalia is scheduled to hold concurrently at both the Security Council and General Assembly on November 12, 2025.
Another election will hold in November 2026 to fill a full nine-year term from 2027 to 2036, with voting taking place simultaneously at both the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly.
“Nigeria, therefore, respectfully solicits your government’s support in the forthcoming election in November 2025, both in the General Assembly and the Security Council,” Ahmed told diplomats at the gathering.
“Your endorsement would affirm our shared commitment to a Court characterised by diversity, excellence, and independence.”
Elias is currently Judge Ad Hoc at ICJ and a full member of the Institut de Droit International.
He has extensive experience as a lawyer and leader in various international organisations, including serving as a UN assistant secretary-general, rising from an entry-level professional position within the UN system.
He is the President of the Administrative Tribunal of the OPEC Fund in Vienna and the Chairman of the Administrative Tribunal of the Islamic Development Bank Group in Jeddah.
He was the legal adviser and director at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons at The Hague and the secretary-general of the African Association of International Law.
“I am not aware of any other candidate who can claim such an intimate knowledge of the UN’s legal framework or of the practical realities that shape multilateral decision-making today,” he said.
He said Elias has held several judicial positions, including serving as judge and president of various international administrative tribunals and known for his fairness, clarity and respect for due process.
“Most significantly, he currently serves as Judge ad hoc of the International Court of Justice, taking part in its deliberations and contributing to its jurisprudence with independence, discernment and a steadfast commitment to the rule of law.
“He is, in fact, the only candidate in this election who has already served as a judge of an international court and who therefore understands, from first-hand experience, the discipline and responsibility that adjudication entails.”