34 Federal High Court Judges Nominees Fail Integrity Screening
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has signaled a rigorous new era for the Nigerian judiciary, disqualifying 34 lawyers who were previously shortlisted for the bench. In a decisive move to sanitize the legal system, the Council revealed that these candidates failed a newly implemented integrity test, specifically designed to weed out individuals with questionable backgrounds. This development comes as a shock to many, as all 62 original applicants had successfully navigated the initial Computer Based Test (CBT), but the subsequent scrutiny of Federal High Court Judges nominees proved to be a far more formidable hurdle.
The disqualifications were largely driven by a public feedback policy introduced by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere Ekun. Under this transparent framework, the names of the 62 successful CBT candidates were published on September 17, 2025, inviting citizens to submit petitions regarding their suitability for judicial office. The response was unprecedented, with members of the public providing documented evidence of misconduct.
In one notable instance, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) serving as a legal officer was accused of demanding a ₦1 million bribe through a proxy to facilitate bail for a detainee. The Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) reportedly referred the matter to the Police Service Commission, which confirmed that the funds had been traced directly to the nominee’s account, leading to her immediate disqualification.
The FJSC ultimately cleared only 28 nominees to proceed to the final interview stage. These remaining candidates are scheduled to face an eight member NJC interview panel on January 11 and 12, 2026, ahead of the Council’s plenary session on January 13 and 14. The NJC’s Director of Information, Kemi Ogedengbe, emphasized that the Council will not lower the entry bar, regardless of the connections or status of the applicants.
The screening process has been widely commended by legal practitioners and civil society groups as a necessary surgical intervention to restore public trust in the Federal High Court, which has often been the center of controversial political and commercial litigations.
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This systemic purge underscores a shift toward meritocracy and ethical uncompromisingness within the Nigerian judiciary. By allowing public petitions to influence the selection of Federal High Court Judges, the NJC has effectively decentralized the vetting process, making it difficult for individuals with “tarnished reputations in their localities” to ascend to the bench.
As the 28 successful nominees prepare for their final grilling in January, the message from the Kekere Ekun administration is clear: the era of judicial appointments based solely on examinations or political patronage is over, replaced by a mandate for absolute personal and professional integrity.
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