South East Lawmakers are demanding the resignation of Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, over JAMB Error

The South East Caucus in the House of Representatives has demanded the resignation of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, over the technical glitches that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The caucus, led by the lawmaker representing Afikpo/ Edda Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, Igariwey Enwo, faulted JAMB for the technical glitches that affected nearly 380,000 candidates, many of whom are now required to resit the exam. 

The lawmakers, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, wondered why all five Southeastern states were significantly impacted by the system failure. 

According to them, the Board’s response has been grossly inadequate, with poor communication, scheduling conflicts with ongoing West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations, and the short notice given for the resit. 

Enwo argued that 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 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. 
They also demanded the suspension of key officials responsible for JAMB’s digital operations and logistics.

While acknowledging Oloyede’s public admission of the failure, the lawmakers maintained that 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.

They reminded JAMB of its constitutional duty to guarantee equal and adequate educational opportunities for all Nigerian children; a responsibility they said had been violated in this instance.