34 Lawyers Disqualified From Federal High Court Appoint

No fewer than 34 lawyers nominated for appointment as Judges of the Federal High Court of Nigeria (FHC) have been disqualified after failing the integrity screening required for elevation to the bench.

The integrity test is part of the new guidelines approved by the National Judicial Council (NJC) under the leadership of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to prevent persons of questionable character from being appointed as judicial officers.

The affected lawyers were among 62 candidates who initially emerged from the selection process but were eliminated following adverse findings arising from petitions submitted during the integrity screening.

According to Channels, sources at the NJC revealed that only 28 nominees, who received a clean bill of health, have been cleared to proceed to the interview stage before the Council next month.

They added that 62 applicants had earlier passed the Computer-Based Test (CBT) conducted by the Federal High Court, after which their names were forwarded to the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC).

In line with established procedure, the FJSC applied the integrity test policy endorsed by the CJN by publishing the names of the successful candidates and inviting public feedback on their integrity, reputation, and suitability for judicial appointment.

The list of nominees was published on September 17, prompting members of the public to submit petitions and comments regarding the candidates.

One of the petitions accused a female nominee of demanding and receiving bribes in the course of her official duties. The allegation was referred to the Police Service Commission (PSC) for investigation.

At the conclusion of the investigation, the PSC reportedly established that the nominee demanded and received a bribe of N1m in connection with a court matter that passed through her office.

Based on the findings from that petition and others, the FJSC upheld only 28 nominations, forwarded the names to the NJC, and dropped the remaining 34 candidates for failing to scale the integrity test.

It was gathered that the 28 shortlisted nominees would be presented to the NJC at its meeting scheduled for January 2026.

They are expected to appear before the NJC interview panel a few days ahead of the Council’s plenary session.

Confirming developments, the NJC Director of Information, Mrs Kemi Ogedegbe, said the Council would meet between January 13 and 14 to consider issues relating to the appointment of Judges of the Federal High Court.

According to her, the shortlisted nominees would face the NJC interview panel earlier in the week, ahead of the main meeting.
Mrs Ogedegbe declined to comment on specific petitions but stressed that the Council remains resolute in maintaining high standards.

“You are all aware, like the general public too, that transparency and judicial integrity have remained a top priority for the Kekere-Ekun-led administration. There is no going back on that. Merit is the only factor that would come to play during the interview and only those found suitable would have their way,” she said.