Activist lawyer, Maduabuchi Idam, has said the National Assembly lacks the competence to probe the “technical glitch” of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
Idam said the current crop of lawmakers in the National Assembly are a product of technical glitch.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, had admitted to errors which affected the performance of students during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The Board had claimed that of the 1.9 million candidates who sat the UTME, over 1.5 million reportedly scored below 200 out of the maximum 400 marks, raising concerns across the education sector.
Condemning the results, the House of Representatives had resolved to launch an investigation into the reported technical error that affected the outcome of the 2025 UTME.
The resolution was passed during Thursday’s plenary session, following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Adewale Adebayo, a member representing a constituency in Osun State.
In a statement reacting to the development, activist Idam said, “After sorrowfully blaming ‘technical glitch’ for the unprecedented failure that was recorded in the controversial 2025 UTME result, where over 80% of candidates who sat in the exam failed, it is reported that Prof. Oloyede, the Registrar Joint Admission and Matriculation Board has been summoned by the National Assembly for probe.
“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?
“Has the National Assembly decided to visit cases of ‘National technical glitch’, in Nigeria? If so, why start with Prof. Oloyede?
“The INEC Chairman should lead the JAMB registrar to the National Assembly investigation panel, if such a panel must worth its name.
“A National Assembly that is a direct product of ‘technical glitch’ lacks the competence both in law and in equity to investigate issues regarding ‘technical glitch’.
“A society that tends to have normalized impunity must remain mute when it is hunted by the ghost of impunity.
“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.”
