The National Judicial Council (NJC) has firmly dismissed a viral media report alleging that 34 lawyers were dropped from consideration for appointment as judges of the Federal High Court after failing an “integrity test,” describing the publication as false and unauthorized.
In a press release signed by its Secretary, Ahmed Gambo Saleh, Esq., the Council said it has “disowned a news report currently circulating on social and conventional media” which claimed that the affected lawyers were disqualified over integrity concerns.
According to the NJC, “the report is inaccurate and unauthorized, and therefore does not reflect the true position of events as they transpired at the level of the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC).”
The Council stressed that it has not taken any action on the candidates, clarifying that “no decision or action has yet been taken by the National Judicial Council in respect of the candidates concerned.” It explained that all processes referenced in the controversial report occurred strictly at the FJSC level.
While acknowledging that some candidates did not advance, the NJC stated that “a few candidates were indeed discontinued from the process at the FJSC level based on adverse findings arising from petitions received by the Commission,” while others failed to progress simply because they did not meet “the required qualifying score to advance to the interview stage before the NJC.”
The Council also rejected claims of a mass-disqualifying integrity assessment, emphasizing that “there is no stand-alone or newly introduced ‘integrity test’ whose failure automatically disqualified candidates en masse.” It added that the judicial appointment process remains “structured, merit-driven, and multi-layered.”
Expressing concern over the impact of the report, the NJC warned that “the publication of inaccurate 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 disclosed that it has begun “internal investigations to ascertain the source of the unauthorized press statement” and reaffirmed its commitment to “transparency, fairness, due process, and the highest standards of judicial integrity.”
It also urged journalists to seek clarification through authorized channels before publishing reports on sensitive institutional matters.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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