The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to take legal action against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) over the unprecedented failure rate recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

ASUU-UNN Chairman, Comrade Oyibo Eze, made this known during a press briefing in Nsukka on Wednesday, accusing JAMB of deliberately manipulating results to disadvantage candidates from the South East.

Eze claimed that the staggering failure rate, which affected over 1.5 million of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for the exam, was part of a larger scheme to limit access to higher education for students from the region.

“My office has been inundated with protests, calls, and visits from parents and members of the public over what appears to be a deliberate mass failure in the 2025 JAMB examination,” Eze stated.

He warned that ASUU would challenge the results in court if JAMB fails to review them and award candidates their deserved scores.

“JAMB is well aware that students from the South East must typically score significantly higher to secure admission, while candidates in some other regions can gain entry into competitive courses like medicine with much lower scores, sometimes as low as 120.

“From the recently released results, of the 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME, over 1.5 million scored below 200, with a significant proportion of these candidates coming from the South East and Lagos State, where many Igbos reside,” he added.

Eze called on South East governors to intervene, insisting that the future of their children’s education was at stake.

“The governors in the zone should not sit back and watch while JAMB plays with the academic futures of our children. I am not against punishing those found guilty of examination malpractice, but that should not be used as an excuse to fail entire centres, many of which have a proven record of academic excellence,” he argued.

He cited the case of the University Secondary School, Nsukka, where, according to him, not a single candidate managed to score up to 200 in the UTME – a result he described as “unbelievable and unacceptable.”

“This is a school known for producing outstanding students who excel academically, both within and outside the country. How can it be that not one of them scored above 200? Even if one or two candidates were caught cheating, is that enough reason to fail the entire cohort, including those who prepared diligently for the exam?” Eze asked.

He urged JAMB to urgently review the results, warning that the mass failure has become a national issue that could spark widespread protests if not addressed.

“JAMB should act swiftly to correct this injustice before it triggers a nationwide outcry,” he concluded.

The 2025 UTME results have sparked widespread outrage, with many parents, educators, and students questioning the integrity of the examination process. As pressure mounts, all eyes are now on JAMB to address the concerns and restore public confidence in the nation’s education system.

What are your thoughts on this? Should JAMB be held accountable, or is this a case of misinterpretation? Share your views.