NJC clarifies FJSC handled screening for Federal High Court judges

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has said it has not taken final action on the 62 legal practitioners whose names were published by the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) as nominees for appointment as judges of the Federal High Court.

The NJC therefore clarified that all the qualification processes leading to the shortlisted candidates were carried out by the FJSC.

Specifically, a statement by the NJC Secretary, Malam Ahmed Gambo Saleh, said reports that 34 of the lawyers failed an integrity test and were subsequently dropped from consideration for appointment were not authorised by the Council.

The statement said the reports, which have been circulating on both social and conventional media, did not reflect what actually transpired in the judicial appointment process.

According to the NJC, all the processes referred to in the report took place entirely at the level of the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), stressing that no decision or action has so far been taken by the Council in respect of the candidates concerned.

The Council explained that 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 disqualified 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.