The House of Representatives has endorsed the candidacy of Professor Dapo Akande, the Nigerian-born United Kingdom nominee for a seat on the International Court of Justice for the 2027 to 2036 term.
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Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, gave the endorsement on Wednesday when he received Akande and officials of the British High Commission during a courtesy visit to the National Assembly in Abuja.
Kalu said Akande’s candidacy commands the admiration and personal support of the House, describing his nomination by the United Kingdom as a major recognition of Nigeria’s contribution to global legal scholarship and international justice.
“As Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is my honour to receive Professor Akande and to say clearly, as a Nigerian and as a parliamentarian, that his candidacy for the International Court of Justice for the term 2027 to 2036 is one that commands the admiration and personal support of this House,” Kalu said.
He described the UK’s nomination of Akande as “not symbolic” but a “structural recognition of a shared legal destiny,” adding that Africa’s presence on the world’s highest judicial bench is a matter of justice.
“The United Kingdom has done something worthy of acknowledgement in nominating you,” he said.
“Africa’s presence on the world’s highest bench is not a matter of sentiment. It is a matter of justice. And in this House, we have always believed that justice delayed is not merely a legal failure. It is a moral one.”
Kalu noted that the nomination came against the backdrop of strong Nigeria-UK relations, including the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s £135 million bilateral support to Nigeria for 2025 and 2026, as well as the Strategic Partnership signed by both countries in November 2024.
He said the nomination of a Nigerian-born scholar to the ICJ bench reflects the strength of the legal and diplomatic ties between both nations.
The Deputy Speaker, who holds a doctorate in law, traced Akande’s legal foundation to Nigeria, saying his global accomplishments began with his legal education at Obafemi Awolowo University and his call to the Nigerian Bar.
“This is not merely a courtesy visit. It is the meeting of two worlds that should never be kept apart: the legislative and the adjudicative, Nigeria at home and Nigeria at its finest abroad,” Kalu said.
He praised Akande’s career as Chichele Professor of Public International Law at All Souls College, Oxford; counsel before the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea; elected member of the United Nations International Law Commission; and co-author of Oppenheim’s International Law.
Kalu said Akande’s candidacy speaks to Nigerians in the diaspora, particularly the more than 270,000 Nigerian-born residents recorded in England and Wales in the 2021 census.
“Professor Akande, your candidacy speaks to every single one of those 270,000 people. It tells them that excellence forged in Nigeria travels, and when it arrives, the world takes note,” he said.
The Deputy Speaker commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for supporting Nigeria’s representation at the highest levels of international justice.
He urged the Federal Government to deploy Nigeria’s diplomatic strength, including its bilateral relationships, African Union standing, ECOWAS leadership and voice at the United Nations General Assembly, to support Akande’s candidacy.
“Nigeria has a proud history at the ICJ, and that history must continue,” he said.
Kalu also charged Akande to uphold justice if elected, noting that the ICJ is facing one of the busiest periods in its history, with rising cases involving genocide, armed conflict and occupation.
He said Africa needs judges who understand that law must function as protection, not merely description.
Earlier, Akande said he was in Nigeria to seek the country’s support for his candidacy.
He commended Nigeria’s commitment to the rule of law at national and international levels, as well as the efforts of the National Assembly in strengthening constitutional democracy.
Akande assured that, if elected to the ICJ, he would work to deepen the rule of law globally.
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