Pan-African Youth Group Backs Rep Agbese's Call for Nigeria to Exit ICC
- The Pan-African Youth Development Network backed Labour Party lawmaker Philip Agbese's call for Nigeria to withdraw from the ICC
- PAYDN said the Hague-based court has become a tool used against African nations while powerful countries escape scrutiny
- The group called on African governments to review their ICC membership and push for reforms at the Pan-African Parliament
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A Pan-African youth group has publicly backed a Nigerian lawmaker's push for Nigeria to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the call as timely and reflecting the frustrations of many African countries.
The Pan-African Youth Development Network (PAYDN) threw its support behind Hon. Philip Agbese, who represents the Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, after he made the case for Nigeria's exit from the ICC during a television interview on TVC last week.
Source: Twitter
In a statement signed by its Country Director, Dr. Charles Okolo, and issued on Monday, August 10, and made available to Legit.ng, the organisation said the Hague-based court functions less as an impartial institution and more as a mechanism deployed selectively against African countries, while powerful nations accused of comparable or worse violations remain untouched.
ICC Seen as Targeting Africa
PAYDN said the pattern of prosecutions and investigations pursued by the court over the years has reinforced a widespread belief that Africa has become its primary target.
"The concerns raised by Hon. Philip Agbese resonate with millions of young Africans who have watched with dismay as the International Criminal Court appears to reserve its prosecutorial zeal almost exclusively for African leaders and conflicts, while allegations involving influential global powers receive little or no meaningful attention," Dr. Okolo said in the statement.
The group insisted that no international judicial body can claim legitimacy if it operates on political convenience rather than fairness, and that justice must be universal without exception.
PAYDN argued that Africa has the capacity to build and strengthen its own regional mechanisms to handle crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide, reducing dependence on external institutions that many across the continent regard as politically compromised.
Call for Reform and Regional Action
The organisation urged the African Union to step up efforts to empower continental judicial frameworks that reflect Africa's realities while meeting international standards of accountability.
On Nigeria's specific role, PAYDN said the country, as Africa's largest democracy, carries a responsibility to lead reform efforts within the global justice system.
"Hon. Agbese's intervention should not be dismissed as a rejection of accountability. Rather, it is a call for a more balanced international legal order where justice is blind to geography, race and political influence," Dr. Okolo added.
The group called on Nigerian lawmakers, civil society groups, and African stakeholders to open formal conversations about strengthening home-grown judicial institutions.
PAYDN also announced that it plans to work with Nigeria's delegation at the next extraordinary session of the Pan-African Parliament in South Africa to table a formal motion on the matter.
Philip Agbese resigns from APC
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Philip Agbese, the deputy spokesperson of the House of Representatives, has resigned from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and defected to the Labour Party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The lawmaker, who is representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue state, announced his official defection on the floor of the House during the plenary on Tuesday, March 31.
Source: Legit.ng
