NEW YORK — Nigeria has officially been elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The election took place by secret ballot at the UN General Assembly in New York.
Starnews Nigeria reports that election took place today, Tuesday, 13 October 2026.
Nigeria secured its seat after winning 172 votes from the UN member states. The nation will serve a three-year term on the global human rights body, spanning from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2029
The UN General Assembly elected a total of 15 new member states to fill upcoming vacancies across various regional groupings. Under the African regional group, the campaign was run on a ‘clean slate’ (uncontested) setup, as the region presented exactly four candidates for its four available seats:
Elected African Nation
Zambia 177 votes
Ghana 173 votes
Nigeria 172 votes
Burundi 160 votes
Alongside the African nations, other prominent countries elected to the council for the 2027–2029 cycle include Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Nepal, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Germany, Ireland, Moldova, and Ukraine
The successful election marks a major diplomatic achievement for Nigeria, which will now hold core responsibilities in shaping global human rights policies, investigating international violations, and steering atrocity prevention frameworks alongside fellow council members
Leave a Reply