JAMB glitch: South East Reps caucus demands Oloyede’s resignation

By Christiana Ekpa

The South East Caucus of the House of Representatives has demanded the resignation of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, over what it described as a “catastrophic institutional failure” in the conduct of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, (UTME).

The leader of the caucus, Igariwey Enwo in a statement issued yesterday criticized JAMB for the technical glitches that affected nearly 380,000 candidates, many of whom are now required to resit the exam.

The caucus said the Board’s response has been grossly inadequate, while also lamenting poor communication, scheduling conflicts with ongoing WAEC examinations, and the short notice given for the resit.

It called for the immediate cancellation of the 2025 UTME and the fixing of a new date, preferably after WAEC and NECO exams, to ensure no student is disadvantaged.

It also demanded the suspension of key officials responsible for JAMB’s digital operations and logistics.

The caucus noted: “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.

“As a caucus, we are deeply concerned, as all five South Eastern states we represent were directly affected by these so-called ‘score distortions.

“While we acknowledge Professor 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.”

The lawmakers maintained that accountability must go beyond apologies, saying, “his resignation would allow for a thorough, independent review of the failure and restore public confidence in the examination body.”