Judicial Council Clarifies Lawyers’ Screening For Judges’ Appointment

National Judicial Council (NJC) says it has not taken the final action on the 62 legal practitioners who applied for appointment as judges of the Federal High Court of Nigeria.

NJC also clarified that all the qualification processes referred to in media reports on judicial officers’ appointment took place entirely at the level of the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC).

Specifically, the council said that reports indicating that 34 lawyers failed the integrity test and were dropped from consideration for appointment as judges were inaccurate and unauthorised by the NJC.

In a statement yesterday, NJC secretary Malam Ahmed Gambo Saleh said the reports, which have been circulating on both social and conventional media, did not accurately reflect what actually transpired in the judicial appointment process.

NJC said all the processes referred to in the report took place entirely at the level of the FJSC, stressing that the council has so far taken no decision or action in respect of the affected candidates.

The council said while a few candidates were discontinued at the FJSC stage due to adverse findings arising from petitions submitted to the commission, others did not progress further because they failed to attain the required qualifying score to move to the interview stage before the NJC.

It also clarified that there is no stand-alone or newly introduced “integrity test” that automatically disqualifies candidates in bulk, as suggested by the reports.

The statement said: “Rather, the judicial appointment process remains structured, merit-based and multi-layered, involving written examinations, performance benchmarks, background checks, consideration of petitions where applicable, and interviews conducted in line with established guidelines.”

The NJC expressed concern that the publication of inaccurate and speculative information could mislead the public and unfairly damage the reputation of candidates who participated in the process in good faith.

As a result, the Council disclosed that it has commenced internal investigations to identify the source of the unauthorised press statement, adding that it will take appropriate steps to safeguard the integrity and credibility of its procedures.

The NJC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, fairness, due process, and the highest standards of judicial integrity, while urging media practitioners to always seek clarification through authorised channels before publishing reports on sensitive institutional matters.