Nigeria has announced its candidate for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) election, scheduled for November in The Hague, Netherlands. The Federal Government has nominated Dr. Taoheed Elias, a respected international lawyer, 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, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, presented Dr. Elias to Nigeria’s diplomatic community, highlighting his distinguished record of legal scholarship and his service as an ad hoc judge at the ICJ. Dr. Elias’ candidacy is viewed as a significant diplomatic effort by Nigeria to reclaim a seat on the ICJ bench—a position last held by Justice Bola Ajibola, who served until 1994. The nomination also reflects the interests of the entire ECOWAS sub‑region, which has lacked representation at the ICJ since Judge Abdul Koroma of Sierra Leone in 2011.
With more than 30 years of global legal and diplomatic experience, Dr. Elias is a strong contender. 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 sit on the ICJ, following Charles Onyeama, Bola Ajibola, and his father, Taslim Elias.
The nomination reaffirms Nigeria’s commitment to global justice and the rule of law. Dr. Elias’ candidacy is seen as a defining moment for Nigeria, Africa, and the international legal order, embodying the country’s long‑standing belief that law, not power, should govern international relations. His eligibility will be judged on an intellectual record built over decades of teaching, scholarship, and research in international law. The election is expected to take place in November.
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