Nigerian elected judge of International Criminal Court

A Nigerian, Chile Eboe-Osuji, has been elected one of the six judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Mr Eboe-Osuji and Morrison Howard of the U.K. were elected at the final rounds of the election held on Friday, during the 10th session of the Assembly of States Parties of the ICC, at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The election of the judges began on Monday with the election of the first four, among them, two women, at the end of the 12th round of the elections earlier on Friday.

Eboe-Osuji recorded 102 votes, while Howard recorded 72 votes out of the 117 votes to meet the two-third required majority of votes before a candidate could be adjudged elected as a judge of the court.

Eighteen candidates contested the six positions. The first round of the elections produced two judges, while at the second round, only one judge was elected.

Other rounds, from three to eleven, did not produce any judge, until the 12th round when another judge emerged. Messrs Eboe-Osuji and Howard were elected in the last rounds.
The election now concluded, the ICC new judges are Carmona Aquinas – Trinidad and Tobago; Defensor-Santiago Miriam- Philippines; Fremr Robert – Czech Republic; Herrera Venecia – Dominican Republic; Morrison Howard – United Kingdom and Eboe-Osuji Chile – Nigeria.

Aquinas recorded 72 votes, Miriam; 79 votes, Robert; 77 votes, Venecia; 77 votes, Howard; 72 votes and Eboe-Osuji; 102 votes.

Speaking to NAN shortly after his election, elated Mr Eboe-Osuji said: “I am happy that Nigeria won a position in the ICC.”

He also expressed appreciation to the Nigeria Mission in New York for the support given to his candidature.