— Exercise Aimed at Filling 14 Judicial Vacancies Across 12 States, FCT, Nasarawa
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A panel 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.
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.
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, noting that Nasarawa State alone has two vacancies, with four candidates shortlisted for consideration
“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:
| State | Shortlisted Candidates |
|---|---|
| Abia | Esohe-Osunwa Nneka Marilyn; Igboko Chinelo Conchita |
| Akwa Ibom | Kuyak Uduak Usoro; Mary Ukeje-Emenike |
| Cross River | Joy Bassey Ikpeme; Nkechi Yvonne Usani |
| Enugu | Osinachi Donatus Nwoye; Ifeoma Chinyere Uzoefuna |
| Imo | Chioma Angela Onuegbu; Eunice Ugonna Fidelis-Iwuagwu |
| Kaduna | Fidelis Yakandi Akaahs; Shehu Umaru Adamu |
| Kwara | Suleiman Amida Hassan; Rasheed Omotayo Rasheedat |
| Nasarawa | Muhammed Babhiru Ramalan; Ibrahim Vera Eneabo; Mohammed Ibrahim Buba; Anzewu Simon Aliyu |
| Plateau | Judith Nenedelmum Binjin-Eigege; Peres David Mann |
| Sokoto | Muhammed Marafa; Muhammed Barau Saidu |
| Taraba | Galumje Edingah; Ibrahim Aji Joshua |
| Zamfara | Nasiru Ahmad; Musa Usman Abubakar |
| Federal Capital Territory | Aisha Salihu; Yahaya Saidu |
Meanwhile, a group has reached out to The Nigeria Lawyer, urging those who claim they scored higher than the shortlisted candidates to come forward, with assurance that their identities will be protected.
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