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Buhari drums support for ICC
News & Trends •
referring to the tragic events in nigeria in the aftermath of the 2011 general elections which necessitated preliminary investigation by the court the president said nigeria is preparing to conduct general elections in 2019i assure you that all hands are on deck to prevent any recurrence of such tragic incidents1 president muhammadu buhari on tuesday at the hague called on the 123 states parties to the rome statute of the international criminal court icc to support the courts jurisdiction over serious cases of corruption and illicit financial flows1 he said that a strong and effective icc has the potential to send powerful messages about the international communitys commitment to accountability a message that will be heard by both victims and perpetrators1 equally a strong and effective icc demonstrates the international communitys commitment to the rule of law1 a strong and effective icc can also act as a catalyst for other justice efforts expanding the reach of accountability1 these could include serious cases of corruption by state actors that severely compromise the development efforts of countries and throw citizens into greater poverty1 these could also include cases of illicit financial flows where countries are complicit and obstruct repatriation of stolen assets. as the african union champion on anti-corruption these are issues dear to my heart1 he assured the international community of a free fair and peaceful 2019 general elections in nigeria contrary to the tragic incidents that characterized the 2011 general elections necessitating preliminary investigations by the icc1 buhari made the call in a keynote at the solemn hearing to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the rome statute of the icc1 we shall do everything possible to ensure that nigeria witnesses the conduct of free fair and peaceful elections in 20191 the president had commenced his address by thanking the judges of the court for electing a cherished son of nigeria as president1 let me start by congratulating you judge chile eboe-osuji on your election as president of the international criminal court and also thank the judges of the court for electing you a cherished son of nigeria. nigeria is very proud of you mr. president he said1 the nigerian leader is the only president invited to grace the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the icc rome statute1 nan reports that out of the 123 states parties to the rome statute of the icc 33african states while 19 are asia-pacific1 others are 18 from eastern europe 28 from latin ameica and the carribean and 25 from western european and other states1 over 25 high-level state officials the president of the assembly of states parties to the rome statute o-gon kwon icc prosecutor fatou bensouda icc registrar peter lewis un legal counsel miguel de serpa soares and other special guests attended the event.nan1