The South East Caucus of the House of Representatives has called for the immediate resignation of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, citing what it described as a “catastrophic institutional failure” in the conduct of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
In a statement issued on Monday, the caucus leader, Hon. Igariwey Enwo, criticised the examination body for technical glitches that reportedly affected nearly 380,000 candidates, many of whom have now been directed to retake the examination.
The lawmakers described JAMB’s response to the incident as “grossly inadequate,” citing poor communication, scheduling conflicts with ongoing WAEC examinations, and the short notice given to candidates for the rescheduled test.
They called for the immediate cancellation of the 2025 UTME and the fixing of a new date—preferably after the conclusion of WAEC and NECO exams—to avoid further disruption to students’ academic schedules.
The caucus also demanded the suspension of officials responsible for JAMB’s digital operations and logistics.
“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 statement read.
According to the lawmakers, all five South Eastern states were directly affected by what they referred to as “score distortions,” adding that the measures taken so far by JAMB had fallen short of expectations.
They criticised the Board’s “knee-jerk, fire-brigade approach,” noting that many students currently sitting for the WAEC examinations were given less than 48 hours’ notice to sit for the rescheduled UTME.
“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 statement added.
The caucus insisted that accountability must go beyond public apologies, stating that Prof. Oloyede’s resignation would pave the way for an independent review of the failure and help restore public confidence in JAMB.
