The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is currently conducting a final audit of the results of 379,775 candidates who sat for the rescheduled 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) before releasing them to the public.

According to sources, the audit team includes officials from JAMB, Civil Societies Organisations, academics, and other independent observers. The results, initially scheduled for release on Wednesday, are now expected to be made public on Thursday following the completion of the audit process.

Meanwhile, JAMB has announced a fresh round of mop-up examinations to accommodate over 5.6 percent of candidates who missed the recently concluded 2025 UTME. JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, stated that this initiative would cover all affected candidates regardless of their reason for absence.

"This time, we are creating a new mop-up. Even those who missed the earlier exam due to absence will get another opportunity," Oloyede said. "It's not extraordinary. In any serious system, when students miss an exam, they're allowed to make up—provided there's no abuse."

The JAMB Registrar emphasized that the UTME is a placement test designed to rank candidates for limited admission slots, not to measure intelligence or academic potential. He also addressed growing criticism and conspiracy theories about the examination process, firmly rejecting claims of ethnic bias or administrative incompetence.

"I take responsibility, not because I failed, but because that's leadership," Oloyede stated. "I didn't even realise people viewed issues around me through ethnic lenses. We must rise above such profiling."

South-West Reps Back Oloyede Amid Resignation Calls

Members of the House of Representatives from the South-West have countered the demand for JAMB Registrar's resignation by their South-East counterparts. The 2025 UTME exercise was significantly affected by technical failures that prevented approximately 379,000 candidates from completing the exam.

Despite Oloyede's public apology and commitment to rectify the situation, the South-East caucus in the House, in a statement signed by Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi), demanded his resignation, describing the situation as a "catastrophic institutional failure." The lawmakers claimed that most of those impacted by the technical glitch come from the South-East geopolitical zone.

However, lawmakers from the South-West rejected this call. Oluwole Oke, representing Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency, described the demand as "very mischievous," stating that Prof. Oloyede is "one of Nigeria's most transparent and upright public servants."

"Yes, something went wrong under his leadership, but he admitted the mistake and apologized publicly. What else do we want from him?" Oke questioned.

This sentiment was echoed by Lagos representative Wale Raji, who noted that the incident affected Lagos zone more than the South-East. "The Registrar of JAMB did the uncommon in Nigerian public service by openly admitting the mistake, tendering a heartfelt apology, and arranging for affected students to retake the exam," Raji said.

The special mop-up exam will be scheduled soon, with JAMB reaffirming its commitment to transparency and fairness in the admissions process.