The Southeast Caucus in the House of Representatives has called for the outright cancellation of this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) over the technical glitches that affected some students during the examination.
The caucus also called for the resignation of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, for what it called a “catastrophic institutional failure” in the conduct of the examination.
In a statement on Monday in Abuja by its Leader, Igariwey Iduma Enwo, the caucus said: “Last week, particularly on May 14, 2025, the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, made a shocking public admission that due to a ‘technical glitch’ at some examination centres during the 2025 UTME, approximately 379,997 out of 1.9 million candidates would be required to retake the examination.
“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 clearly a catastrophic institutional failure, one that has severely shaken public trust and the confidence of students and their families nationwide.
“The caucus calls for immediate cancellation of the 2025 UTME and the fixing of a new date, preferably after WAEC and NECO examinations, to ensure that no student is disadvantaged.”
The caucus also demanded “the suspension of key officials responsible for JAMB’s digital operations and logistics”.
Acknowledging Oloyede’s public admission of the failure, the lawmakers said accountability must go beyond apologies, adding that his resignation would allow for a thorough, independent review of the failure and restore public confidence in the examination body.
The Southeast Reps caucus reminded JAMB of its constitutional duty to guarantee equal and adequate educational opportunities for all Nigerian children, a responsibility it said had clearly been violated in this instance.
The caucus added: “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 Southeast — 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 Southeast, the flawed and tainted conduct of the 2025 UTME has effectively denied them that right to equal and adequate educational opportunities.”
