The National Judicial Council (NJC), has said that it is Federal Judicial Service Commissiom (FJSC) that conducted all qualification process for lawyers seeking appointment as Federal High Court Judges .
The Council, however, added that it has not taken final action on the 62 lawyers who applied for the job.
NJC also stressed that all the qualification processes on judicial officers appointment took place entirely at the level of the Federal Judicial Service Commission, (FJSC).
The Council further stated that an earlier reports that 34 of the lawyers failed integrity test and were dropped from consideration for appointment was not authorized by the NJC.
The Council in a statement signed by its Secretary, Ahmed Gambo Saleh said the reports 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 noted that there is no stand-alone or newly introduced “integrity test” that automatically disqualified candidates in bulk, as suggested.
The statement reads in part, “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 Council however disclosed that it has commenced internal investigations to identify the source of an earlier press statement which misled the media , 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 pleading with media practitioners to always seek clarification through authorized channels before publishing reports on sensitive institutional matters.
