Leading human rights activist and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu has vowed that contrary to trending reports, most of the 34 applicants for the post of judge of the Federal High Court did not fail any integrity test.

In a post on his verified Twitter/X handle, the fiery rights advocate alleged that many of the applicants were excluded from the shortlist by the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) due to lack of leverage to push their applications.

Odinkalu alleged that “the main ground on which most candidates were excluded at the level of the #FJSC was that they did not have insider leverage, #godfather or #godmother. It had nothing to do with absence of integrity in most candidates.”

He labeled the trending news on the ‘failed integrity tests’ as “criminal propaganda being used to tarnish the candidates,” adding that while there were “integrity petitions against 1 or 2 candidates which turned out to be founded,” “that did not affect any number remotely approaching double digits.”

He stated that some “unsuccessful” candidates have accused “judicial authorities of manipulating results and shortlisting candidates who allegedly failed the qualifying examination.”

According to Odinkalu, it is claimed “that some of the candidates on the final shortlist of 28 scored as low as 30% or even 25%,” adding that one person alleged specifically that “the name of the person who scored the highest in the test was excluded from the list.” The candidate is alleged to hail from a state in south-east Nigeria.

He observed that “This will not be a first time that such an allegation will be made in relation to judicial appointments into the Federal High Court. As long as the FJSC and the NJC remain unwilling to publish the scores of all the candidates, it is impossible to discount these allegations.”

CITY LAWYER recalls that the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) had shortlisted 28 candidates for the plum FHC jobs. The process involved, among other evaluations, a computer-based test (CBT) and an aptitude test in relation to both of which each candidate is scored. The scores are not published.

Taking a swipe at this procedure in another article, Odinkalu stated that “It is no surprise that such an opaque process lends itself to deserved controversy around three issues.”

He vowed that “it is difficult not to look upon the short-list that the NJC committee will be interviewing next month as anything other than an advertisement of nepotism and favouritism. The list is rich with children or candidates of serving or retired senior judges, some of them involved in the process.”

Odinkalu stated that it “seems evident” that Nigeria’s process of judicial appointments “has become largely performative, rigged to the pre-determined end of preferring children into judicial hereditaments occupied or recently vacated by their parents or patrons. Rather perversely, the so-called reform decided upon by the NJC in April 2025 of publishing the names of candidates “recommended” for judicial office is designed entirely to lend legitimacy to a pre-determined process in clear violation of the Judicial Code of Conduct.”

Calling on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to reverse the alleged odium that has enveloped judicial appointments in Nigeria, Odinkalu wrote: “The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) has an opportunity in this present round of hires to the Federal High Court Bench to course-correct. As a first step, she should publish the scores of all candidates throughout the process. That will reassure the public about her commitment to liberating judicial appointments in Nigeria from continuing abduction by the forces of capture, conjugality and abuse of power.”

Below is the full text of the tweet by the Law teacher.

This story about how 34 lawyers failed integrity test in the hire process for new judges of @FederalHigh is factually inaccurate. Even worse, it is criminal propaganda being used to tarnish the candidates.

1st, indeed, there were integrity petitions against 1 or 2 candidates which turned out to be founded. But that did not affect any number remotely approaching double digits.

2nd, the main ground on which most candidates were excluded at the level of the #FJSC was that they did not have insider leverage, #godfather or #godmother. It had nothing to do with absence of integrity in most candidates.

The people who failed #IntegrityTest were not the candidates for the most part. They were the people on the other side of the table. Having successfully banalised & corrupted judicial recruitment, what they now seek to do with this story is to re-victimise their victims. #ThatSucks!

@daily_trust pls take note & please feel free to verify independently. It is most unfair to most of the candidates whose credentials were quite competitive & some of whom – on all parameters – actually beat out many of those eventually recommended & whose only qualification was that they came leveraged by political or judicial insiders or both.

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