Sierra Leone Withdraws Professor Charles Jalloh from ICJ Race as Kenya’s Phoebe Okowa Wins Seat
Tolulope Aina Sierra Leone’s candidate for the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Professor Charles Chernor Jalloh, has missed out on a seat on the world court after the country withdrew his candidature and backed Kenya’s Professor Phoebe Okowa.
Okowa was elected on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, following further rounds of voting by the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council after the two bodies failed to agree on the fifth available seat during the initial ballot.
The first round saw four candidates secure the required majority in both UN bodies: Dapo Akande of the United Kingdom, François Alabrune of France, Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud of Jordan and Rena Lee of Singapore.
The fifth position remained undecided after the General Assembly and Security Council produced different results for Okowa and Jalloh, requiring additional ballots.
Sierra Leone subsequently announced its decision to withdraw Jalloh’s candidature and support Okowa, saying the move was intended to consolidate African support and protect the continent’s representation on the court.
In the final voting, Okowa secured eight votes in the Security Council and 106 in the General Assembly, while Jalloh received seven votes in the Security Council and 79 in the General Assembly, according to reports.
Okowa’s election means she will serve a full nine-year term beginning on 6 February 2027.
Jalloh, a Sierra Leonean professor of international law, had received the backing of ECOWAS leaders and 13 national groups during his campaign.
His bid had attracted considerable attention in Sierra Leone, where his election would have marked the country’s return to the ICJ bench following the departure of former Judge Abdul Koroma in 2012.