JAMB Glitch: Igbo Leaders decry perceived bias against South East

The Igbo leaders have labelled the outcome of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results as a significant failure, where the entire South East states, along with Lagos, experienced widespread mass failures attributed to technical glitches, as reported by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.

The glitches occurred across 157 centres in the five South Eastern states and Lagos, affecting a staggering 379,997 candidates. Following this revelation, Igbo leaders are questioning why these issues were isolated to the South East and Lagos, both areas with substantial Igbo populations. Many in the Ndigbo community view these technical glitches as a continuation of marginalization efforts dating back to 1966, raising suspicions about why such an issue would affect only these regions.

Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, president of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, condemned the situation, suggesting it was a deliberate plot to keep the South East marginalized. He criticized JAMB for planning a subsequent round of tests, highlighting the psychological and financial burden placed on affected students and their families, rendering the entire exercise a mockery.

Nnabuike insisted that the incident appears to be a calculated move to undermine educational opportunities for the South-East. In solidarity with the Ohanaeze Youths, the South-East Senate Caucus expressed shock and disappointment over the technical disruptions experienced during the UTME across various centres.

The senators described the incident as “suspicious and alarming,” warning that such actions could jeopardize national unity and educational fairness. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, chairman of the caucus and representative of Abia South Senatorial District, condemned the glitches, which have sparked significant distrust and concern for the future among the youth in the region.

Abaribe stated, “The so-called glitch, as curious and suspicious as it were, is enough to erode confidence and dangerously lower national pride among the future generation.” He expressed worries about a potential underlying agenda aimed at disadvantaging the youth and demanded clear answers from JAMB to address the frustrations and fears of the populace, especially the students affected directly by these issues.

As the situation unfolds, it continues to evoke strong sentiments among leaders and stakeholders in the South East, reinforcing concerns over the integrity and fairness of the educational system impacting the region’s youth.

“Education remains one of the most important bedrocks of any society’s advancement. Every child is entitled to it; therefore, we must not play roulette with it,” Abaribe stated.

The South-East senators must have been disturbed by the allegations that Ndigbo wards are often sent on emergency transfers out of the ICT rooms to irrelevant positions. For instance, it was noted that just before the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Chidi Nwafor, the then INEC ICT director, was demoted and transferred. Coincidentally, glitches also occurred during the 2023 presidential election. In March 2025, JAMB transferred its ICT director, Mr. Fabian Okoro, and replaced him with Mr. Funmilayo Usman. Just two months later, during the JAMB exam, glitches affected all five South-East states and parts of Lagos, which are heavily populated by Ndi Igbo. “A witch cried in the night, and a child died in the morning,” captures the sentiment surrounding these events.

In light of these occurrences, former education minister Oby Ezekwesili has heavily criticized the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board for the technical glitch that affected the 2025 UTME results. She questioned why the authorities did not act with humility and perform an unbiased system check once unusual trends were identified, instead of dismissing the concerns of citizens. She described the explanations provided by the ministry of education and JAMB as embarrassingly anecdotal and lacking evidence regarding the unusual results in the five South East states.

“Technical matters must always be examined with professionalism, which has sadly been absent due to the toxic atmosphere created by incompetent and dishonest politicians and intellectuals who should know better,” she asserted.

An Owerri-based analyst and student of History and International Relations, Uche Okere, expressed that it’s difficult not to view JAMB as complicit in these events. He remarked that regardless of how the registrar attempts to explain it, many questions remain. “Ndigbo have always been at the receiving end when such issues occur. The Nigerian system, which allocated only five states to the South-East out of a federation of 36, 15 senators out of 109, and 95 LGAs out of 774, raises suspicion of being anti-Igbo whenever these matters arise. We can’t blame Ndigbo for questioning this,” Okere noted.