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Just In: JAMB Reviews 379,000 UTME Resit Results — Here’s What You Need to Know!

According to The PUNCH, before the final results are made public on Thursday, a final audit of the 379,775 candidates who took the delayed 2025 JAMB-Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination is underway.

The audit team includes officials from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), academics, civil society organizations, and other impartial observers.

Following the press briefing announcing the completion of the retest, our correspondent was informed of the development by a source who wished to remain anonymous due to a lack of authorization.

Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the spokesperson for JAMB, informed The PUNCH on Monday that the results of the retake UTME would be made public on Wednesday.

However, our correspondent’s findings on Wednesday showed that the results were being audited, which is why they weren’t made public on Wednesday.

A new round of mop-up exams was announced by JAMB on Wednesday to accommodate the more than 5.6% of candidates who were unable to attend the recently ended 2025 UTME.

Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, stated that the program would cover all impacted candidates, regardless of the cause of their absence.

We’re coming up with a fresh mop-up this time. “Even those who were absent for the previous exam will have another chance,” he stated. “It isn’t noteworthy. If there is no abuse, students who miss an exam can make it up under any serious system.

Oloyede emphasized that the UTME is not a test of academic ability or intelligence, but rather a placement exam.

He explained, “Its goal is to rank applicants for a limited number of admission slots, not to assess a person’s intelligence.”

Oloyede vehemently denied allegations of administrative ineptitude or ethnic bias in response to mounting criticism and conspiracy theories over the testing procedure.

“I accept responsibility because that’s leadership, not because I failed,” he said. “I had no idea that people were viewing the world around me via ethnic prisms. We have to stop profiling like this.

He commended the staff and candidates for their perseverance in the face of logistical challenges. “We didn’t have much room. We were aware that kids might lose their chance if we continued to lament the difficulties,” he remarked.

JAMB said it is still dedicated to openness and equity in admissions, and the special mop-up exam is set to take place soon.

Reps from S’West support Oloyede

The South-East caucus’s demand for the resignation of the JAMB registrar has been met with resistance from South-West members of the House of Representatives.

A technical issue severely impacted the 2025 UTME exercise, preventing almost 379,000 applicants from passing the test and jeopardizing their hopes of pursuing higher education.

In a heartfelt apology to the impacted candidates and their parents last week, Oloyede publicly acknowledged responsibility for the problem and pledged to take action to ensure that such mistakes don’t happen again.

Nevertheless, in a statement signed by Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi), the South-East caucus in the House called for Oloyede’s resignation, calling the JAMB situation a “catastrophic institutional failure.”

The MPs contended that the South-East geopolitical zone is home to the majority of persons affected by the technical malfunction.

Citing poor communication, scheduling difficulties with existing WAEC examinations, and minimal notice for the retake, they criticized the board’s reaction as being insufficient.

These circumstances, they allege, have caused unnecessary distress for students and their families.

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

The caucus called for the suspension of important personnel in charge of JAMB’s logistical and digital operations.

“While we appreciate Prof. Oloyede’s candor in acknowledging JAMB’s shortcomings, the corrective actions implemented thus far fall far short of our constituents’ expectations,” they continued.

The South-East caucus’s demand for Oloyede’s resignation, however, has been rejected by a few prominent South-West members who have called it excessive.

Five-term lawmaker Oluwole Oke, who represents the Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency, told The PUNCH exclusively that the JAMB Registrar is “just too clean” to purposefully create a fault like this that now jeopardizes his job.

“The resignation call is very mischievous,” he continued. One of Nigeria’s most honest and open public officials is Prof. Oloyede. I looked into JAMB’s activities as chairman of the House Public Accounts Committee, and I can confirm that Prof. Oloyede is above blame.

“Yes, something went wrong while he was in charge, but he openly apologized and acknowledged his error. What more are we hoping for from him?

Wale Raji, his counterpart from Lagos, repeated Oke’s position, questioning why lawmakers from the South-East are demanding the head of the JAMB Registrar when many students in Lagos State were also impacted.

Although the occurrence was regrettable, Raji stated that the Lagos zone was more affected than the South-East. However, the JAMB Registrar took a rare step in Nigerian public service by publicly acknowledging the error, expressing sincere regret, and setting up a retake for the impacted students.

Prof. Oloyede has established a benchmark that public officials in comparable circumstances should adhere to. The South-East’s call is inappropriate and terrible.

James Faleke, the House’s South-West Caucus Chairman, did not return calls or WhatsApp messages; thus, attempts to reach him for a response were fruitless.