A total of 34 lawyers were chosen to serve as judges of the Federal High Court of Nigeria (FHC), but they were disqualified from the race because they failed the integrity test.
The National Judicial Council (NJC), led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has approved the new guidelines to prevent people with doubts from being acquitted in court.
The 34 legal professionals were chosen from among the 62 candidates for the Federal High Court’s bench, but during the integrity test, various petitions against them tried to deceive them.
Only 28 nominees who passed the integrity test, according to sources at the NJC, will now face the Council’s interview panel the following month.
The Federal High Court sent 62 applicants their names to FJSC after they passed the Computer Base Test (CBT) examination.
Read more about Federal High Court Shortlists 34 for Judge appointments.
However, the FJSC was alleged to have used the policy of integrity test approved by the current Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to provide public feedback on nominees by publishing the names of the 62 applicants in accordance with the established procedure.
Members of the public were asked to provide feedback on nominees’ integrity, reputation, and suitability for judicial appointments after their names were published on September 17, 2025.
A female nominee was alleged to have bribed someone while performing her official duties in one of the public feedback petitions, and she was then referred to the Police Service Commission (PSC) for investigation.
The Police Service Commission concluded that the female nominee had demanded and received a million naira bribe during a court proceeding that took place at her place.
The FJSC ended up up upholding the nomination of only 28 names, forwarding the same to the NJC, and dropping the remaining 34 because they had failed to pass the integrity test on the basis of the established facts of the petition written by a lawyer against the female nominee and several others.
The NJC will receive the honorable 28 nominees at its meeting scheduled for January 2026, according to Channels Television’s information.
The source predicted the meeting would take place in the second week of February and the 28 nominees will face an interview panel from the NJC.
The NJC Director of Information, Kemi Ogedegbe, confirmed that the Council would meet between January 13 and January 14 to discuss issues involving the shortlisted candidates’ appointments as Federal High Court judges.
The 28 nominees’ meetings will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, according to her, and they will likely be on Monday and Tuesday.
Ogedegbe, who criticized specific petitions filed against some nominees, argued that the NJC is completely determined to keep the entry point bar open regardless of who is involved.
Source: Channels TV
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