No fewer than 34 lawyers shortlisted for appointment as judges of the Federal High Court of Nigeria have failed the mandatory integrity screening and have been disqualified from the process.
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The integrity test forms part of newly approved guidelines by the National Judicial Council (NJC), under the leadership of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, aimed at preventing individuals of questionable character from ascending to the bench.
The affected lawyers were among 62 nominees considered for elevation to the Federal High Court, but were dropped after petitions and adverse findings emerged against them during the integrity assessment.
Consequently, dependable sources at the NJC revealed that only 28 nominees who received clean bill of health during the integrity test would now face the interview panel of the Council next month.
The source told our correspondent that the 62 applicants passed the Computer Base Test (CBT) examination conducted by the Federal High Court consequent upon which their names were forwarded to FJSC.
However, in line with the laid down procedure, the FJSC was said to have applied the policy of integrity test endorsed by the current Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun on public feedback on nominees by publishing the names of the 62.
The publication of nominees names on September 17, 2025, invited members of the public to submit feedback on nominees’ integrity, reputation and suitability for judicial appointment.
In one of the petitions from public feedback, a female nominee was accused of obtaining bribes in the discharge of her official duties and was referred to the Police Service Commission (PSC) for investigation.
At the end of the investigation, the Police Service Commission found as a fact that the female nominee actually demanded and received one Million Naira bribe in the course of a Court matter 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 integrity test.
Our correspondent gathered that the lucky 28 nominees would be presented to the NJC at its meeting scheduled for January 2026.
The 28 shortlisted nominees will face NJC interview panel days before the proper meeting which the source said would hold in the second week of next month.
When contacted for comments on the matter, the NJC Director of Information, Mrs Kemi Ogedegbe confirmed that the Council would meet between January 13 and 14 to consider issues in the process of the shortlisted candidates for appointments as Judges of the Federal High Court.
According to her, the 28 shortlisted nominees will face Council interview panel in court days before the meeting, maybe Monday and Tuesday, while the meeting is Wednesday and Thursday.
The Director who refused detailed comments on petitions against some nominees insisted that the NJC is fully determined not to lower the entry point bar no matter who is 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.
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