The Office of the President has dismissed claims that Nigeria was ignored in the recent UN Human Rights Council elections, explaining that Nigeria’s omission from the final list was due to diplomatic strategy rather than deliberate exclusion.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Assistant to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the government set the record straight.
The statement, titled “Nigeria and the 2024 United Nations Human Rights Council Elections: Setting the Record Straight,” stressed that Nigeria is not standing as a candidate in the elections.
Mr. Onanuga said, “Nigeria was not slighted in this election as some reports have falsely claimed. I didn’t.
“Any votes recorded for Nigeria by secret ballot were cast in error by countries that mistakenly believed Nigeria was included in the vote.”
On October 9, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly elected 18 new members of the Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term.
The selected countries include Benin, Bolivia, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Gambia, Iceland, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Mexico, North Macedonia, Qatar, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and Thailand. .
Mr Onanuga said the African regional group supported candidates from Benin, Gambia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia to fill five vacant seats.
“There was no competition in the African group because the number of candidates matched the seats available,” he explained.
Mr Onanuga also highlighted Nigeria’s decision to focus on supporting African candidates.
He said: “Nigeria’s leadership on the continent remains unchallenged and the country’s strategic choice to support its favored candidates was consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to fostering African unity. ” he said.
“This is consistent with our diplomatic tradition of ensuring that Africa has a united voice on the world stage.”
The statement also called on the media to verify information before publishing and criticized the prevalence of false reporting.
“The media should cross-check their information before rushing to report. There was no evidence that this was done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or our mission in New York. We, as Nigerians, should We should not be quick to belittle or drag our country back on issues,” Onanuga warned.
The Human Rights Council, an intergovernmental body of 47 states, is tasked with promoting and protecting human rights worldwide.
The newly elected members will serve a three-year term starting January 1, 2025, replacing outgoing members such as Argentina, Cameroon, Eritrea, India and Somalia.
