2025 UTME Mass Failure: ASUU Issues Fresh Threats To JAMB as Details Emerge

• ASUU-UNN accused JAMB of deliberately suppressing South East candidates in the 2025 UTME, calling for a review of results or threatening legal action
• Over 1.5 million candidates scored below 200, mostly from South East and Lagos; ASUU urged regional governors to intervene against what it described as injustice
• ASUU criticised the failure of entire exam centres over few malpractice cases, demanding fairness and warning of potential national protests if the issue remains unresolved

FCT, Abuja - The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Nigeria Nsukka branch, has issued a strong warning to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) over the widespread failure recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

ASUU alleges deliberate suppression of South East candidates

Speaking on Wednesday, May 22, in Nsukka, ASUU-UNN Chairman Óyibo Eze claimed the massive failure, particularly affecting candidates from the South East, was a deliberate attempt by JAMB to block admission chances for students from the region.

“My office has been inundated with protests, calls and visits by parents and the general public on this deliberate massive failure in the 2025 JAMB examination,” he said.

Eze warned that if JAMB fails to review the results and adjust candidates’ scores, ASUU would pursue legal action.

“ASUU will challenge this result in High Court if JAMB fails to review the result and give candidates their merited scores,” he stated.

He added that JAMB expects South East candidates to achieve higher scores to gain admission, unlike counterparts in other regions who are admitted with much lower scores.

According to Eze, over 1.5 million out of 1,955,069 candidates scored below 200 in the exam, with most from the South East and Lagos State, home to many Igbo people.

He called on South East governors to intervene and challenge what he described as an injustice targeting the region’s youths.

“The governors in the zone should not sit and watch JAMB toy with the academic future of our children,” he urged.

Calls for urgent review and fairness in assessment

Eze acknowledged the need to penalise those guilty of malpractice but criticised the wholesale failure of entire exam centres due to a few offenders.

“It is unbelievable that in the whole University Secondary School, Nsukka, no candidate scored up to 200 in the UTME. This school has superlative students who excelled academically, yet all failed," he said.

He insisted that one or two malpractice cases should not justify failing everyone else.

“If JAMB discovered a few candidates for malpractice, is that enough reason to fail all others who prepared hard?” he asked.

The ASUU leader urged JAMB to act swiftly to review the results, warning that the mass failure could spark national protests if left unaddressed.

Source: Legit.ng