The Obidient Movement, which is largely the supporters of Labour Party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called for the immediate resignation of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Is-haq Oloyede.
The movement cited Oloyede’s “gross incompetence” and mishandling of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday, the movement expressed outrage over what it described as a “systemic failure” that affected at least 379,997 candidates, predominantly from the South-East region and Lagos State.
“It is disheartening that Prof Ishaq Oloyede has once again found himself at the centre of a controversy marked by glaring incompetence and poorly managed examination logistics,” the statement read.
While acknowledging that technical challenges can occasionally occur in large-scale national assessments, the group claimed the current situation was indicative of “institutional ineptitude,” compounded by a “sluggish and unimpressive response” from JAMB.
The Obidient Movement also criticised Oloyede’s emotional response during a recent press briefing, describing his public shedding of tears as “performative” and “a distraction rather than a solution.”
Further criticism was directed at JAMB’s decision to mandate a retake for the affected candidates. According to the group, the Registrar had publicly admitted the issues were due to human error, not a technical failure — raising questions about the necessity and fairness of requiring another exam.
Additionally, concerns were raised about JAMB’s plan to notify candidates via bulk SMS, a method the group noted has a delivery success rate of only 50–60 percent. “What then becomes the fate of candidates who, through no fault of theirs, never receive such notifications?” the movement asked.
The statement, signed by Nana Kazaure, Director of Strategic Communications and Media for the Obidient Movement, concluded with a firm demand: “We demand the immediate resignation of the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, for gross incompetence and a demonstrable lack of capacity to continue managing the affairs of JAMB.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) announced that a total of 379,997 candidates in Lagos and the five South-East states would be rescheduled for another sitting of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB Registrar, Oloyede, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, acknowledging that errors during the initial examination negatively affected the performance of some candidates.
Oloyede revealed that affected candidates will be sent messages with details of the examination rescheduled for this weekend.
