Nigerian Judicial Council To Interview 28 Candidates For Federal High Court Vacancies In January

The panel will also include the current President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) as well as an immediate past president of the association. The exercise is aimed at filling 14 judicial vacancies across the country.

Apanel of the National Judicial Council (NJC), to be chaired by a senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, will in the second week of January 2026 interview 28 shortlisted candidates for appointment to the bench of the Federal High Court.

Twelve states — Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Zamfara — and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) each have one vacant position, with two candidates shortlisted per state.

Nasarawa State is the only state with two vacancies, for which four candidates have been shortlisted.

Renowned human rights scholar and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, disclosed the details in a post shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Wednesday.

He stressed that appointments to the Federal High Court are of high constitutional importance and should not be conducted in secrecy.

“Appointment to the bench of the Federal High Court is a high constitutional office of consequence. Citizens need to know who is being considered and what is going on,” Odinkalu wrote.

He insisted that “The era of doing judicial appointments like it is a #SecretCult should be over. The courts belong to the people and should account to the people.”

According to the list shared, the shortlisted candidates are as follows:

Abia State: Esohe-Osunwa Nneka Marilyn; Igboko Chinelo Conchita

Akwa Ibom State: Kuyak Uduak Usoro; Mary Ukeje-Emenike

Cross River State: Joy Bassey Ikpeme; Nkechi Yvonne Usani

Enugu State: Osinachi Donatus Nwoye; Ifeoma Chinyere Uzoefuna

Imo State: Chioma Angela Onuegbu; Eunice Ugonna Fidelis-Iwuagwu

Kaduna State: Fidelis Yakandi Akaahs; Shehu Umaru Adamu

Kwara State: Suleiman Amida Hassan; Rasheed Omotayo Rasheedat

Nasarawa State: Muhammed Babhiru Ramalan; Ibrahim Vera Eneabo; Mohammed Ibrahim Buba; Anzewu Simon Aliyu

Plateau State: Judith Nenedelmum Binjin-Eigege; Peres David Mann

Sokoto State: Muhammed Marafa; Muhammed Barau Saidu

Taraba State: Galumje Edingah; Ibrahim Aji Joshua

Zamfara State: Nasiru Ahmad; Musa Usman Abubakar

Federal Capital Territory: Aisha Salihu; Yahaya Saidu

Prof. Odinkalu urged members of the public with relevant information or concerns about the process or any of the candidates to formally communicate with the National Judicial Council without delay.

The Federal High Court plays a critical role in Nigeria’s judicial system, with jurisdiction over key areas including revenue, customs, taxation, banking, intellectual property, and federal agencies.

Observers say transparency and public confidence in the appointment process are essential to strengthening the integrity and independence of the judiciary.