The Presidency reacts to the alleged unrest in Nigeria in the UNHRC elections

The presidency has denied claims that Nigeria did not win votes in the United Nations Human Rights Council elections held at the UN General Assembly last Wednesday (October 9).

In a statement released to X, the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), Bayo Onanuga, stated that the African regional group nominated five countries namely Benin, Gambia, Kenya, DRC and Ethiopia for the five seats assigned to the continent.

He said this move eliminates the need for an election.

“There was no competition in the African regional group as the continent fielded the same number of candidates as the available seats. Contrary to information circulating, Nigeria was not rejected in this election as some reports have falsely claimed.

“The country did not stand as a candidate for this election cycle, just as it did not stand for the elections in 2023 when a Nigerian media sensationally reported that the country got three votes,” he stated .

Mr. Onanuga said just as in 2023, Nigeria focused on providing support to countries that have been nominated by the African regional group. This, he said, reflects President Bola Tinubu’s leadership strategy to foster unity on the African continent.

“The regional bloc supported Benin and Gambia, both members ECOWASfor the 2025-2027 mandate. Given Nigeria’s continued leadership in fostering African unity, the nation focused on supporting approved candidates to promote African collective representation.

“This has been the hallmark of President Bola Tinubu’s leadership on the continent. This strategic approach aligns with Nigeria’s longstanding diplomatic efforts to ensure that Africa speaks with one voice on the global stage,” he added.

Explaining how Nigeria got the few votes, leading to speculation that Nigeria was rejected in the election, he said: “Any vote that was recorded for our country must have been cast by mistake in the secret ballot by some countries who thought Nigeria was on the ballot”.

Elections to the Human Rights Council

The United Nations The General Assembly elected 18 members of the Human Rights Council for a three-year term from 1 January 2025 to December 2027.

The Human Rights Council is a vital part of the United Nations system, made up of 47 member states that work together to promote and protect human rights worldwide. Its main objective is to address human rights violations and make recommendations to improve human rights situations.

Elected to the council through a secret ballot system are Benin, Bolivia, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Iceland, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Mexico, North Macedonia, Qatar, Republic of Korea and Spain , Switzerland and Thailand.

They will join Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Maldives, Morocco, Netherlands, Romania, South Africa, Sudan and Vietnam.

Why the presidency said Nigeria was not rejected

Reports suggesting that other countries think Nigeria does not deserve a seat at the Human Rights Council cast a shadow over President Tinubu’s administration.

Members of the UNHRC are expected to uphold human rights, and members deemed to be in violation of these rights lose votes and are not elected to the council.

In extreme cases, the General Assembly can vote to suspend membership when serious violations are found.

Nigeria has been a regular member of the UN Human Rights Council since 1967. However, the country experienced two significant interruptions between 1982-1987 and 1991-1999. These periods coincided with a time of military rule, widespread human rights violations, electoral violence and repression.

Although Nigeria has successfully maintained a democratic form of government for 25 years, the country’s human rights record has not improved significantly.

According to Human Rights Watch in its 2024 report, Nigeria continues to struggle with election-related violence, regional conflicts, separatist unrest, abuses by security forces, repression of press freedom, poverty and inequality