The embattled candidate for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Test (UTME) 2023, Mmesoma Ejikeme, has explained how she obtained different scores of 362 and 249 in the Joint Board of Admissions and Matriculation (JAMB) when he checked his result.
JAMB and Miss Mmesoma, 19, have been involved, in recent days, in claims and counterclaims over the authenticity of the 362 score claimed by the candidate.
Although Ms Mmesoma said she saw a score of 362 on the JAMB portal when she checked her result, the testing body has consistently insisted that the result does not emanate from her.
JAMB said it stopped using the format of the copy of the score sheet shown in a viral video of the candidate, saying that out of more than 1.6 million candidates who sat for the exam in 2023, only Miss Mmesoma has that copy of the result.
JAMB said the candidate-submitted proof of service format was last used in 2021.
The examining body also announced the withdrawal of Miss Mmesoma’s “authentic” UTME 2023 result, where she reportedly scored 249. The decision, JAMB claimed, is a punishment for her dishonest conduct.
The candidate stands firm
However, the candidate and her father, Romanus Ejikeme, stood their ground, insisting that both the 362 and 249 scores emanated from JAMB.
Speaking to Channels Television on Wednesday morning, Miss Mmesoma narrated how she got the two different scores of 362 and 249.
The candidate said she first checked her result on the JAMB portal, where she saw 362. She added that she checked her result on the phone and not in a computer center or internet cafe.
She said: “I went to the JAMB portal. There, I tried to get my result, then they directed me to another site. There I put my registration number and the result came out, ”she said. “I didn’t go to any computer center. It is the result that they gave me that I downloaded ”.
The candidate also said she saw 362 when she verified her result using the USSD code provided by JAMB.
“The one I checked on the USSD code is the 362 I saw,” he said.
According to her, it was after this that she sent an SMS to JAMB through JAMB’s student support system, “but they didn’t reply”.
“The only SMS I sent to JAMB was through JAMB’s student support system, but they didn’t respond,” he said.
The candidate said: “After all was said and done, I now saw that I got 249. So I messaged them there to find out what really happened, on the JAMB support system. If they go to your system. They will see it there.
‘JAMB unfair to me’
Reacting to the three-year suspension and the withdrawal of his result, he said he felt bad and that his parents also found the decision strange.
She said, “It’s not my fault that I printed my result like this, and they said that I faked my result. It’s not fair for me.
He denied the forgery charge against him and insisted that the 362 score he claimed was also obtained from the JAMB portal.
Eight person sonar panel
Meanwhile, the Anambra state government has set up an independent panel to investigate the matter.
The eight-person panel is led by Nkemdili Nnonyelu, a teacher.
“It is not our wish to join the smear duel or take sides at this stage. But as a responsible government, we have decided to launch an independent investigation into the matter,” read a statement from Information Commissioner Paul Nwosu.
“In light of the above, the Anambra State government has established an inquiry committee to fully investigate the JAMB/Mmesoma matter.”
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Other panel members include state Education Commissioner Ngozi Chuma-Udeh; Mercy Okonkwo, Maduabuchi Dukor, Jaja Nwanegbo and Mary-Felicia Opara, all teachers.
Others include Uchenna Umeifekwem, a cannon reverend, and Chukwuemeka Agbata, director general of the Anambra Information and Communication Technology Agency.
Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in association with Report for the World, which connects local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on hidden issues around the world.