The House of Representatives Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions has fixed February 19, 2026, to hear a petition filed against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) over its policy denying admission to candidates below 16 years who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
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Notice of the hearing was conveyed through an electronic communication served on counsel to the petitioners, Vincent Adodo, by the committee’s secretariat.
The petition was filed by a coalition of concerned parents, students and stakeholders under the banner Movement Against JAMB Injustice 2025. The group is challenging JAMB’s decision to bar qualified candidates who were under 16 years as of August 31, 2025, from gaining admission into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session despite what they described as outstanding performance in the UTME.
In their petition dated September 23, 2025, and addressed to the committee chairman, the petitioners argued that JAMB’s enforcement of the policy amounts to disobedience of judgments of two superior courts of record and violates the 1999 Constitution, which mandates compliance with court orders by all authorities and persons.
They further contended that the policy infringes on the fundamental rights of affected candidates, particularly the right to freedom from discrimination as guaranteed under Section 42 of the Constitution.
Among the reliefs sought, the group urged the House of Representatives to direct JAMB to lift the age restriction for all qualified candidates who passed the 2025 UTME and to restore the admissions of candidates whose placements were withdrawn or suspended solely on the basis of age.
The petitioners also warned that the matter reflects a broader pattern of alleged institutional disregard for court judgments by some government agencies, stressing that the outcome of the case would have far-reaching implications for thousands of affected students forced to remain out of school despite meeting admission requirements.
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The forthcoming hearing is expected to determine whether the lower age threshold should be retained or reviewed and could shape legislative intervention on admission policies affecting underage but academically qualified candidates.
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