A prominent advocacy group has issued a strong warning to Nigeria's judicial appointment bodies, urging them to guard against conspiracies and baseless petitions aimed at derailing the selection of federal judges.
Group Alleges Malicious Campaign Against Nominees
The Africa Centre For Good Governance And Corruption Free Communities has directly called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) to be extremely cautious. The centre insists that frivolous petitions, particularly those leaked to the media, are being used as weapons against nominees for the Federal High Court bench.
The group singled out the case involving Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Blessing Nkechi Ezeala. A petition accusing her of professional compromise was submitted to the NJC and FJSC. However, the Africa Centre has labelled these allegations as "frivolous and unfounded." They raised a critical question: why was this confidential petition leaked to the press if not for ulterior, conspiratorial motives?
Demand for Investigation and Dismissal of Leaked Documents
In a statement released on Sunday, January 18, 2026, the group demanded that the judicial bodies investigate how such sensitive petitions find their way to the media. They argued that leaked petitions should automatically be disqualified from consideration.
Temitope Olubunmi Joseph, the Convener of the group, stated that the NJC must invoke its established rules. "The NJC should invoke its rules on leaked petitions by discarding them," Joseph asserted. The group revealed that they possess the petition against CSP Ezeala and confirmed it was leaked alongside a pre-written news report on Sunday, December 28, 2025, around 3 pm.
"We would have thought that since the petition had been submitted to the relevant judicial bodies... the petitioner would have left it there," the statement read, questioning the motive behind the media leak. They openly challenged the petitioner, Sanni Abass Esq., acting for a client named Alhaji Abubakar Yahaya, to substantiate the claims made in the document dated September 22, 2025.
Warning of a "Grand Conspiracy" to Sway Appointments
Joseph cautioned that when the public is invited to comment on judicial nominees, a flood of allegations—both true and false—is inevitable. He emphasized that thorough investigations are the only way to separate genuine grievances from malicious attacks.
The Africa Centre believes the leak was a deliberate strategy. "The sole aim of leaking the petitions was to paint CSP Nkechi Blessing Ezeala and others black in the eyes of the public," the group declared. They called on the NJC to align with the National Judicial Policy and Judicial Discipline Regulations of Nigeria, which typically mandate that leaked petitions be ignored to protect judicial integrity.
The group's investigation suggests "powerful forces" are collaborating to block CSP Ezeala's appointment. This alleged opposition stems from her role in enforcing a court judgment concerning a property in Wuse, Abuja, where the petitioner allegedly violated a court order. The centre pointed out that the petitioner failed to prove any compromise by CSP Ezeala or that a police investigation found her culpable.
"Adopting the leaked Petition... without thorough investigation, clearly supports the theory of grand conspiracy against the CSP," the statement concluded, urging the NJC and FJSC to see the leaks as an attempt to tarnish nominees and disrupt the appointment process.
