UTME Candidates Cry Out as JAMB Excludes Them From Mop-Up Exam: “This Is My Last Hope”
- UTME candidates have expressed frustration after being excluded from JAMB’s mop-up examination despite reported technical glitches
- Some candidates have claimed that examination officials collected their slips and assured them of rescheduling for the mop-up
- JAMB has stated that the mop-up UTME represents the final opportunity for eligible candidates in the 2026 examination cycle
Several candidates affected by technical glitches during the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have expressed frustration after discovering they were not scheduled for the forthcoming mop-up examination despite having reported their challenges to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Source: Twitter
Their complaints came shortly after JAMB announced that eligible candidates could begin printing their notification slips for the 2026 Mop-Up UTME scheduled for Saturday, June 13.
In a statement released on Sunday, June 7, JAMB's spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, said:
"The Board scheduled the Mop-Up UTME for candidates who were unable to sit for their earlier examinations due to technical challenges, as well as those whose biometric verification could not be successfully completed during the main exercise."
"The Board wishes to emphasise that this Mop-Up Examination represents the final opportunity for eligible candidates to sit the 2026 UTME. No further examination will be conducted after this exercise."
Students recount exam glitches, mop-up exclusion
However, some candidates who insist they were affected by technical failures say they were shocked to discover that they had not been included in the mop-up exercise.
One of them, Yunus, who spoke with Legit.ng, said he experienced technical issues during his examination at the Matrix CBT Centre in Ilorin.
According to him, officials at the centre collected his examination slip and assured him that he would be rescheduled for the mop-up examination.
"I missed the initial examination due to technical issues at Matrix CBT Centre in Ilorin. I was one of the candidates who experienced the technical issues at the centre. The JAMB official collected my slip during the exam and told me to wait for a mop-up exam. But now I have checked my profile, and there is no exam scheduled for me," he said.
Abdulhafeez is another concerned Nigerian who spoke to Legit.ng. According to him, his sister also suffered a system failure during her examination and subsequently lodged a formal complaint through JAMB's ticketing platform.
"My sister had a system failure during her exam. She dropped a complaint through ticket number 260417-MG8A9E, and she didn't get any response yet, and she wasn't scheduled for the mop-up examination," he said.
Candidates cry out on social media
These experiences mirror those of several other candidates who took to social media to seek intervention from JAMB.
Source: Twitter
An X user, Emmanuel, simply wrote:
"Mine is showing that I'm not eligible."
Another candidate, Muhammad Bashir Sunusi, appealed to the examination body to give all affected candidates equal opportunities.
"We deserve an equal chance; we are Nigerians, we are calling for equality. I didn't write the exam, and I submitted all necessary reasons and documents attached to the supervisor, but still they denied my chance," he said.
Similarly, a candidate identified as David said he was unable to complete his examination because of technical issues and had hoped to be rescheduled.
"UTME tech issues stopped me. Still not rescheduled. Mop-up exam Saturday is my last hope," he wrote while appealing directly to JAMB and its spokesperson.
In a similar complaint, David Oscar said candidates at his examination centre in Benin experienced technical difficulties and were assured that they would be rescheduled.
"I had technical issues during UTME at my centre, Hilltop CBT Centre in Benin, on April 16, and our slips were collected for rescheduling, but now I haven't been rescheduled for mop-up. This is my last hope," he wrote.
The development has triggered anxiety among affected candidates, especially as JAMB has stated that the mop-up examination is the final opportunity for eligible candidates to participate in the 2026 UTME.
As of the time of filing this report, JAMB had not publicly responded to candidates’ complaints that they were affected by technical glitches and excluded from the mop-up examination list.
JAMB releases 279 withheld UTME results
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board released 279 previously withheld UTME results after reviewing suspected examination malpractice cases across various centres nationwide.
The board said some results were cleared following investigations that found no evidence of malpractice, while others remain withheld as scrutiny continues into centres flagged for suspicious examination activities.
Source: Legit.ng
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