Law firm challenges OAU, UNILAG over ‘withheld’ post-UTME results of candidates

A law firm, Nnadi & Co, has initiated legal proceedings against Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and the University of Lagos over alleged irregularities in their recent post-UTME.

In a letter dated September 11 and signed by one Keke Nnadi, the firm sought a probe of the post-UTME conducted by both universities.

The letter, addressed to the speaker of the federal house of representatives, asked that the two universities release the withheld results of students, who it said were accused of examination malpractices.

The firm requested that the accused students be given a fair hearing before any action is taken against them.

Nnadi also sent copies of pre-action notices to OAU and UNILAG, asking that the students should be given “access to their scripts and the marking scheme used.”

The lawyer issued a 30-day ultimatum to the universities to respond to the demands.

Alex Onyia, an education activist, said he received over 1000 reports from students who were allegedly affected by a glitch during their post-UTME examination.

The educator also alleged that the OAU director of ICT said some of the candidates were intentionally marked down.

Responding in a letter signed by registrar Abosede Wickliffe, UNILAG stated that there are no cases of withheld results at the university.

The school management acknowledged that some students were disqualified on the basis of examination malpractice.

They added that the students were adequately informed about the school’s decision.

In a subsequent application, the Nnadi firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of five of the candidates reportedly affected. 

The firm sought an injunction to restrain OAU, UNILAG, and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from finalising their admission processes until the hearing of its “motion of notice.”

Consequently, Onyia claimed via an X post that the admission processes into the schools have been suspended, following the court order.

On their part, the management of OAU, in a letter signed by Yinka Ayantola, claimed Nnadi does not hold the right to initiate legal proceedings without a 2025 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) seal.

Recently, the demands to scrap the post-UTME intensified as many stakeholders described the process as “legalised extortion.”

Some parents and university administrators argued that the continued administration of the additional entrance test was an unnecessary burden on parents and students.

They said JAMB was sufficient to test the aptitude of candidates and determine their eligibility for admission into tertiary institutions.