No Decision Taken Yet – NJC Clarifies Report on 34 Lawyers’ Integrity Test

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has denied popular rumors that 34 attorneys were excluded from consideration for appointment as judges of the Federal High Court of Nigeria after failing an integrity exam.

According to a statement released by the NJC’s secretary, Ahmed Gambo Saleh, the reports that are currently in circulation are false and do not accurately depict what actually happened.

According to Saleh, some candidates were unable to proceed in the Federal Judicial Service Commission’s (FJSC) process due to unfavorable conclusions drawn from petitions the Commission received; a number of others were unable to proceed because they did not meet the necessary qualifying score to move on to the interview stage before the NJC.

He argued that a final decision about the impacted candidates has not yet been made by the NJC.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the processes mentioned in the report were conducted entirely at the FJSC level, and no decision or action has yet been taken by the National Judicial Council in respect of the candidates concerned,” the statement stated.

The Council emphasized that there is no independent or recently implemented “integrity test” whose failure automatically disqualified the impacted applicants, in contrast to the impression given by the media reports.

According to reports, the statement also stated that candidates must go through several stages of screening, such as structured, merit-driven, and multi-layered. These stages include written tests, performance standards, background checks, petition reviews when necessary, and interviews that are conducted strictly in compliance with established protocols.

“The publication of erroneous and speculative details has the potential to mislead the public and unjustly impugn the reputation of candidates who participated in the selection process in good faith,” the Council observes with worry.

“In light of the aforementioned, the NJC will take the necessary actions to safeguard the integrity and credibility of its processes and has started internal investigations to determine the source of the unauthorized press statement.”

“The Council encourages media practitioners to always seek clarification through authorized channels before publishing reports on sensitive institutional matters, and reassures Nigerians that it remains firmly committed to transparency, fairness, due process, and the highest standards of judicial integrity,” the statement continued.