JAMB Registrar Refutes Conspiracy Allegations Over UTME Glitch, Says All Candidates Matter

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has dismissed allegations of a conspiracy targeting a specific region of the country following the technical glitch that disrupted the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Last week, Oloyede disclosed that JAMB experienced a system malfunction which affected the results of candidates in Lagos and the five states of the South-East. This revelation sparked outrage, with some accusing the board of intentionally sabotaging students from the South-East to derail their academic ambitions.

Addressing the media after a management meeting held ahead of the release of the rescheduled UTME results, Prof. Oloyede firmly denied any wrongdoing or regional bias.

“It is unfortunate and deeply regrettable that a candidate died during this process,” he added, before a minute of silence was observed in the candidate’s honor.

Prof. Oloyede emphasized that JAMB treats all candidates equally, regardless of their state of origin. “Every candidate is Nigerian and deserves equal opportunity,” he stated.

His response comes amid growing calls for his resignation—particularly from the South-East Caucus of the 10th House of Representatives—who argue that the technical issues compromised the future of over 300,000 affected students.

Despite the pressure, the JAMB boss maintained that there was no deliberate attempt to disenfranchise any group and reaffirmed the board’s commitment to fairness and transparency in its examination processes.