Nigeria has announced its candidate for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) election, scheduled to take place in November at The Hague, Netherlands. Dr. Taoheed Elias, a respected international lawyer, has been nominated by the Federal Government to represent the country in the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

The ICJ, established in 1945, is the highest court for resolving disputes between sovereign states. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, presented Dr. Elias to the diplomatic community in Nigeria, highlighting his distinguished record of legal scholarship and service as an ad hoc judge at the ICJ.

Dr. Elias’ candidacy is seen as a significant diplomatic bid by Nigeria to reclaim a seat on the ICJ bench, a position the country last held through late Justice Bola Ajibola, who served until 1994. The nomination also represents the interests of the entire ECOWAS subregion, which has had no representation at the ICJ since Judge Abdul Koroma of Sierra Leone in 2011.

With over 30 years of global legal and diplomatic experience, Dr. Elias is a strong candidate for the position. He has served as a legal adviser and director at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague and is currently the president of the administrative tribunal of the OPEC Fund for International Development. If elected, he would become the fourth Nigerian to serve at the ICJ, following in the footsteps of Charles Onyeama, Bola Ajibola, and his father, Taslim Elias.

The nomination of Dr. Elias is a reaffirmation of Nigeria’s commitment to global justice and the rule of law. His candidacy is seen as a defining moment for Nigeria, Africa, and the global rule of law, as it reflects the country’s long-standing belief that law, not power, should govern international relations. The election is expected to take place in November, and Dr. Elias’ eligibility will be based on his intellectual record, built over decades of teaching, scholarship, and research in international law.