The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) branch, has threatened to take legal action against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) over the widespread failure recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Speaking at a press briefing in Nsukka on Wednesday, the Chairman of ASUU-UNN, Dr. Óyibo Eze, expressed concern over what he described as a deliberate attempt by JAMB to frustrate candidates, particularly those from the South East.
“My office has been overwhelmed with protests, phone calls, and visits from concerned parents and members of the public regarding the massive failure in this year’s UTME,” Eze said. “ASUU is prepared to challenge this outcome in court if JAMB fails to review the results and award deserving candidates their rightful scores.”
Dr. Eze alleged that the 2025 UTME results disproportionately affected candidates from the South East, suggesting a deliberate bias. He argued that students from the region are often required to attain higher scores to gain admission, while lower scores are accepted for similar courses in other regions.
“In the recently released UTME results, out of the 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the exam, over 1.5 million scored below 200. A significant number of these candidates are from the South East and Lagos State, where many Igbos live,” he noted.
He urged governors of the South East to intervene and address what he termed an injustice aimed at denying children from the region access to higher education.
“Our leaders must not remain silent while JAMB undermines the academic future of our youth,” he said. “While we support punishing candidates found guilty of examination malpractice, that should not result in penalizing entire exam centers.”
Eze expressed disbelief that none of the candidates from University Secondary School, Nsukka—known for its academic excellence—scored up to 200 in the UTME.
“This school has consistently produced outstanding students. It is incomprehensible that all of them performed poorly. Even if one or two were involved in malpractice, is that justification for failing everyone?” he asked.
He called on JAMB to urgently re-evaluate the results, warning that the issue could escalate into a national crisis if left unaddressed.
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