Petitions Halt Appointments of 34 Lawyers as New Federal High Court Judges

Over half of the nominees for the Federal High Court of Nigeria (FHC) have been disqualified after failing a mandatory integrity test.

Out of 62 applicants who initially passed the Computer-Based Test (CBT), 34 were dropped following a public vetting process introduced by Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to sanitize the judiciary.

The National Judicial Council (NJC) received numerous petitions questioning the character and suitability of the candidates.

In one notable case, a female nominee was referred to the Police Service Commission (PSC) following allegations of bribery.

Consequently, only 28 candidates with a “clean bill of health” will proceed to the final interview panel next month.

At the end of the investigation, the Police Service Commission found as a fact that the female nominee actually demanded and received N1 million bribe in the course of a Court case that passed through her office.

Armed with the established facts of the petition written by a lawyer against the female nominee and several others, the FJSC ended up upholding the nomination of only 28 names, forwarding same to the NJC and dropping the remaining 34 for failure to scale the test.

The lucky 28 nominees would be presented to the NJC at its meeting scheduled for January 2026.

The shortlisted nominees will face NJC interview panel days before the proper meeting which the source said would hold in the second week of January 2026.

Mrs. Kemi Ogedegbe, the NJC Director of Information, confirmed that the Council is scheduled to meet on January 13 and 14, 2026, to review the shortlisting process for the Federal High Court.

She noted that the 28 remaining nominees are expected to undergo interviews early that week, likely on Monday and Tuesday, ahead of the main meeting.

While declining to provide specific details regarding the petitions, Ogedegbe emphasized that the NJC remains firm in its commitment to maintaining high standards for the judiciary, regardless of the individuals involved.

“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 ways,” she said.