A member of the House of Representatives and leader of the South-East Caucus, Hon. Iduma Igariwey, has called for the complete cancellation of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), condemning what he described as a “catastrophic institutional failure” by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Igariwey expressed serious concerns about the integrity and fairness of the examination process.
“The whole thing has lost its integrity. It has lost its fairness. People who prepared for the exams were no longer in a position to take them,” he said.
He argued that the UTME should be annulled and redone properly to ensure a just and transparent process for all candidates.
“We believe the exam must be cancelled so the right thing can be done. JAMB cannot just gloss over the issue and proceed as if nothing happened,” Igariwey insisted.
His remarks come in the wake of JAMB’s admission that nearly 400,000 candidates were affected by what it described as a combination of “technical glitches” and “human error,” necessitating a rescheduled exam. The retake was set for May 16 , just two days after JAMB’s announcement on May 14.
“This is unprecedented. It shocked Nigerians. We exercised restraint at first and responded only after hearing Prof. Ishaq Oloyede’s statement,” Igariwey said, referencing the JAMB Registrar’s May 14 briefing.
According to Igariwey, the abrupt rescheduling of the exam left thousands of students unable to participate.
“From our various constituencies, we received reports of students who couldn’t get to the examination centers in time. Many were simply unable to sit for the rescheduled exams, which raises serious concerns,” he noted.
He further criticized JAMB for rushing ahead with the makeup exams without clearly communicating how the original issues had been resolved.
“You haven’t told Nigerians what exactly caused the glitch or how it was fixed. There’s been no real investigation or accountability. Yet, new exams were hastily scheduled,” he added.
The South-East Caucus had earlier issued a statement demanding the resignation of JAMB Registrar Prof. Oloyede and a total cancellation of the 2025 UTME across the country.
At the May 14 press conference, Prof. Oloyede apologized for the disruption, saying, “We are human; we are not perfect.” However, the apology has done little to allay concerns among lawmakers and affected students.
Igariwey reiterated that the matter goes beyond apologies and must be treated with the seriousness it deserves to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s examination systems.
