JAMB boss Oloyede reacts to conspiracy claim against South-East in 2025 UTME

Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has dismissed an alleged plot to sabotage a part of the country following the technical glitch that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Oloyede's remarks followed a claim of conspiracy against the South-East, as five out of the six states affected by the technical glitch are in the region.

Critics have alleged that the JAMB deliberately compromised the results of the South-East candidates, intending to deny children from the region an opportunity to enroll in universities.

But Oloyede, who spoke at a meeting with the board's management ahead of the release of the results of the rescheduled UTME on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, debunked the allegation.

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He insisted there was no deliberate attempt to undermine South-East candidates, stressing that every candidate is Nigerian and has equal opportunities.

The JAMB Registrar also regretted the death of a candidate as a result of the examination, as the meeting observes a minute's silence in honour of the deceased.

Pulse reports that some quarters have called for Oloyede to resign over the technical glitch that affected over 300,000 students.

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the South-East Caucus of the House of Representatives asked the JAMB boss to resign over the technical glitch.

The caucus also called for the examination to be completely cancelled and for a new date to be fixed for the exercise across the country.

In a statement signed by the caucus leader, Igariwey Iduma Enwo, the lawmakers described the 2025 UTME outcome as a “national shame.”

“To this end, we call for the immediate suspension of those at the commanding heights of JAMB’s digital operations and examination logistics.

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“The registrar of JAMB is said to be a good man, but then, leadership must carry consequences. We, therefore, call on the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, to do the needful by resigning his appointment to pave the way for a thorough examination and remediation of the root causes of this national shame.

“That’s the way to go in any civilised democracy, and we expect no less,” the lawmaker said.