Judges’ appointment more transparent now — CJN Kekere-Ekun

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun has said that the process for the appointment of judicial officers in the country now enjoys greater transparency.

Justice Kekere-Ekun, who is also the Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), said this while presenting a paper, titled: “Innovations in judicial practice: Embracing change for a better future,” at the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges’ Association Triennial Conference held in Banjul, The Gambia.

A statement by the media aide to the CJN, Mr Tobi Soniyi on Thursday, said the NJC, at its 108th meeting held between April 29 and 30 approved a landmark policy to publish the names of candidates under consideration for appointment as judicial officers and to invite public input.

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The CJN, in her presentation, explained that, the policy adopted by the NJC was to introduce an additional layer of transparency into the process of appointing judges by ensuring that members of the public and other relevant stakeholders can raise objections, provide information, or endorse nominees before appointments are finalized.

According to her, it is a deliberate effort to strengthen accountability, enhance public trust, and align Nigeria’s appointment procedures more closely with international best practices, including those recommended in the Constitution Hill Guidelines.

The Constitution Hill Global Guidelines on Apex Court Appointments, published in September 2024, provide globally for a set of baseline principles tailored to the singular role of apex courts as the final arbiters of constitutional interpretation and guardians of democratic governance.

Justice Kekere-Ekun noted that, members of the public are already taking advantage of the initiative as shown in the last exercise for the appointment of judicial officers conducted by the NJC.

In her words, “In a plural society such as Nigeria, with over 200 million citizens across different ethnic, religious, and linguistic identities, the visibility of diversity on the Supreme Court bench strengthens public confidence and assures citizens that the judiciary reflects the society it serves.”

The CJN noted that despite several efforts to strengthen appointment of judicial officers, challenges still remain, some of the challenges she said, include executive delays in acting on recommendations for appointments made by the NJC, which could impair the court’s capacity to sit at full strength.

Other challenges, she added, include the requirement for security vetting and the interpretation of federal character requirements, which often sparks debate about whether merit is being compromised for inclusivity.

The CJN however, assured the audience, among whom were Chief Justices of Commonwealth countries, that Nigeria will continue to appoint to the Bench only people who satisfy constitutional, professional, and ethical standards.