Africa-Press – Gambia. The decision by Gambian government to withdraw the nomination of former Attorney General, Abubacarr Marie “Ba” Tambadou for the position of Judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was influenced by Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, impeccable government sources have revealed.
A credible source, who spoke with The Voice Newspaper on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the development occurred during the 67th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS in Abuja, Nigeria.
The source said Nigerian leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu held a closed-door bilateral talk with Gambian delegates on the matter. It was during these bilateral talks that the Nigerian President demanded that The Gambia should step aside and gave Nigeria’s candidate, Dr. Olufemi Elias, the chance to run for the ICJ top judge position.
Nigeria has formally presented Dr. Olufemi Elias as its candidate to the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, Netherlands, for the term 2027 to 2036.
According to the source, Dr. Elias was the only African candidate for the position in 2021 but failed to secure the required votes. The source added that even though Ba Tambedou stood a far greater chance to win the position, the Gambian Government succumbed to the demand of President Tinubu to withdraw its support for Tambedou’s nomination.
Another highly placed source confirmed the development, saying the Nigerian President was aware that Tambedou’s candidacy stood a better chance than Dr. Elias’s. The source called on the Gambian Government to reconsider its position and give full support Ba or the interest of both nations.
“I can confirm that this whole ploy to deny Ba Tambedou the ICJ position was triggered by President Bola Tinubu during the last ECOWAS Summit in Abuja. It was during that summit that President Tinubu held a bilateral meeting with President Barrow to convince The Gambia to withdraw its support for Tambedou and back Dr. Elias instead,” the source said.
When contacted to shed light on the development, Ba Tambedou declined to make any statement but confirmed that the withdrawal of his nomination was communicated to him by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It could be recalled that in February 2025, the Gambian Government officially nominated and endorsed Tambedou’s candidature only to withdraw its support on 7th July 2025.
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