The southeast caucus of the House of Representatives has demanded the outright cancellation of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as a result of technical glitches that affected some students during the examination.
The caucus also called for the immediate resignation of the Registrar of the JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, over what it described as a “catastrophic institutional failure” in the conduct of the examination.
Recall that Prof. Oloyede last week shed tears over the glitches experienced during the examinination and accepted full responsibility.
In a statement on Monday signed by its leader, Igariwey Iduma Enwo, the caucus criticised JAMB for the technical glitches that affected nearly 380,000 candidates, many of whom are now required to resit the exam. The lawmakers said all five southeastern states were significantly impacted.
The caucus said the response by the Board to the development has been grossly inadequate, citing poor communication, scheduling conflicts with ongoing WAEC examinations, and the short notice given to candidates for the resit, saying the situation has caused unnecessary trauma for students and families.
The statement reads, “Last week, particularly on May 14, 2025, the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made a shocking public admission that due to a ‘technical glitch’ at some examination centres during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), approximately 379,997 out of 1.9 million candidates would be required to resit the exam.
“As a caucus, we are deeply concerned, as all five southeastern states we represent were directly affected by these so-called ‘score distortions.
“Over the past week, we have exercised restraint, hoping that JAMB would provide effective remedial measures to address what is a catastrophic institutional failure, one that has severely shaken public trust and the confidence of students and their families nationwide.
“The caucus calls for the immediate cancellation of the 2025 UTME and the fixing of a new date, preferably after WAEC and NECO exams, to ensure that no student is disadvantaged. They also demanded the suspension of key officials responsible for JAMB’s digital operations and logistics”.
They said, “While we acknowledge Prof. Oloyede’s openness in admitting JAMB’s failures, we must state unequivocally that the remedial steps taken so far fall drastically short of our constituents’ expectations.
“JAMB’s knee-jerk, fire-brigade approach has been anything but adequate. Students in the South East—many of whom are currently writing their WAEC examinations—were given less than 48 hours’ notice to appear for the rescheduled UTME”.
“Reports indicate that this notice was grossly inadequate, resulting in low turnout. In some cases, the rescheduled UTME clashed directly with ongoing WAEC papers, compounding the distress and confusion for students and their families.
“We must remind Nigerians that JAMB, as a government agency, is duty-bound to uphold the fundamental obligations of government to its citizens. The framers of our Constitution recognised the central role of education in national development. Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution clearly states: ‘Government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels.’
“By recent judicial pronouncements, this provision now constitutes an enforceable right for every Nigerian child. Sadly, for the thousands of students across the South East, the flawed and tainted conduct of the 2025 UTME has effectively denied them that right to equal and adequate educational opportunities.”
