The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it will release the results of 379,000 candidates who sat for the rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) on Wednesday.
The rescheduled exams, held between Friday and Monday, followed public outcry over mass failures recorded during the initial UTME.
JAMB acknowledged that technical and human errors—especially in Lagos and the South-East—significantly affected candidates’ performance.
Out of the 1.9 million candidates who took part in the 2025 UTME, more than 1.5 million scored below 200 out of a possible 400, triggering concern among parents, students, and education stakeholders.
After mounting pressure, the board conducted an investigation and uncovered faults in its systems, both human and technical. JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, had last week taken public responsibility for the issues and became emotional while announcing a resit for those affected.
Speaking with journalists on Monday, JAMB spokesperson Dr. Fabian Benjamin confirmed, “The results of the candidates who took the rescheduled exam will be released on Wednesday.”
Prof. Oloyede had earlier disclosed that 379,997 candidates in Lagos and the five South-East states were affected by the glitches. According to him, 206,610 candidates across 65 centres in Lagos and 173,387 candidates across 92 centres in the South-East were impacted.
Describing the problem as “sabotage,” Oloyede said affected candidates began receiving notifications for the rescheduled exam starting last Thursday.
Of the 1,955,069 results processed from the initial UTME, only 4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored 320 and above. An additional 7,658 candidates (0.39%) scored between 300 and 319. This brings the total number of candidates who scored 300 and above to 12,414 (0.63%).
A further breakdown showed that 73,441 candidates (3.76%) scored between 250 and 299, while 334,560 (17.11%) scored between 200 and 249. The majority—983,187 (50.29%)—scored between 160 and 199, which is considered the minimum threshold for admission in many tertiary institutions.
Additionally, 488,197 candidates (24.97%) scored between 140 and 159, while 57,419 (2.94%) scored between 120 and 139. Some 3,820 candidates (0.20%) scored between 100 and 119, and 2,031 (0.10%) scored below 100.
The significant proportion—over 75%—of candidates who scored below 200 has raised fresh questions about the UTME’s fairness and the reliability of the system.
In response, the South-East Caucus in the House of Representatives on Monday demanded the immediate resignation of JAMB Registrar, describing the situation as a “catastrophic institutional failure.”
The demand came in a statement signed by Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi), who said the communication surrounding the rescheduled UTME was poor and criticized the short notice given to affected students. The lawmakers also raised concerns about conflicts with the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).
The caucus stated, “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 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 South-Eastern 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 lawmakers called for the cancellation of the entire 2025 UTME and a new exam to be held after the conclusion of WAEC and NECO exams, to ensure that students are not unfairly disadvantaged.
They also urged the suspension of JAMB officials responsible for digital operations and logistics, insisting that public accountability must go beyond apologies.
“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,” the statement added.
“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.”
Citing Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates the government to provide “equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels,” the lawmakers argued that recent court rulings have made this right enforceable.
“Sadly, for the thousands of students across the South-East, the flawed and tainted conduct of the 2025 UTME has effectively denied them that right to equal and adequate educational opportunities,” the caucus stated.
