Activist lawyer Maduabuchi Idam has declared that the National Assembly lacks the competence to investigate the "technical glitch" that allegedly caused mass failures in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The controversy erupted after JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, admitted that technical errors affected students' performance in the examination. According to JAMB, over 1.5 million candidates out of the 1.9 million who sat for the examination scored below 200 out of the maximum 400 marks, representing an unprecedented 80% failure rate.

In response to the alarming results, the House of Representatives resolved on Thursday to launch an investigation into the reported technical error. The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Adewale Adebayo, representing a constituency in Osun State.

However, Idam questioned the legitimacy of the National Assembly to conduct such an investigation, suggesting that the current lawmakers themselves are "a direct product of technical glitch" in reference to controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections.

"What is the hue about this 'technical glitch' with JAMB? I thought 'technical glitch' has been adopted as a permissible defence for incompetence or public breach of trust in Nigeria. What has changed in Prof. Oloyede's case?" Idam stated.

The activist lawyer further argued that if the National Assembly is serious about investigating technical glitches, they should start with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

"The INEC Chairman should lead the JAMB registrar to the National Assembly investigation panel, if such a panel must worth its name," he said.

Idam concluded his statement by challenging Nigerians to be consistent in their acceptance of official explanations: "The point must be made that the reason given by Prof. Oloyede for the 2025 UTME mass failure must be accepted by Nigerians just the same way Nigerians have accepted INEC's 2023 general election results; otherwise, the National Assembly must start with probing the 2023 elections."

The JAMB technical glitch controversy has sparked widespread concern among students, parents, and education stakeholders across Nigeria, with many calling for remedial measures to address the unprecedented failure rate.