The controversy surrounding the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results has deepened following allegations of glitches and irregularities by an official of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The Head of Examinations at the WAEC office covering Anambra State, Olanrewaju Fadehan, made the allegations in a video that has gone viral, claiming that candidates who took the computer-based version of the examination were particularly affected.
Fadehan alleged that problems emerged around the release of the results, which he said was initially expected between August 3 and 5, 2026. According to him, WAEC had traditionally released its results on Mondays, but last-minute adjustments were made before the results were eventually released.
“Obviously, there was a problem because the press was eagerly waiting on Monday, the scheduled date. There was a need to quickly do some last-minute adjustments. Something was wrong,” he said.
According to the WAEC official, the alleged adjustments particularly affected candidates who sat for the computer-based examination, including in subjects such as Mathematics, English and Igbo.
He also raised concerns about reports of poor performance in Igbo among some candidates from the South-East, despite the subject being widely spoken in the region.
Beyond the candidates, Fadehan alleged that schools that invested heavily in preparing for WAEC’s transition to computer-based testing were also affected.
He claimed that some schools spent more than N60m to establish computer-based examination facilities in anticipation of the transition.
“The call for a review this year is particularly disturbing, as it is alarming. Schools that subscribed to the CBT innovation of WAEC were badly hit. Some of them spent upwards of N60m and above to set up their CBT facilities,” he alleged.
Fadehan further alleged that some candidates were not provided with appropriate calculators during the examination, claiming that this contributed to poor performance in Mathematics and other calculation-based subjects.
The WAEC official said he had raised concerns about the alleged irregularities during the examination and subsequently petitioned relevant authorities, including the WAEC Board, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examining Bodies and the Minister of Education.
He alleged that instead of his complaints being addressed, he was subjected to disciplinary proceedings and subsequently placed on interdiction.
Fadehan called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to investigate what he described as the alleged failure of candidates, particularly those who took the computer-based version of the examination.
He also made allegations of financial impropriety against the examination body’s management, including claims relating to the supply of calculators, students’ identification cards and charges imposed on candidates and other service seekers.
He urged the Federal Government and other stakeholders to investigate the allegations, stressing that the credibility of the examination system was important to the future of Nigerian students.
However, WAEC has not publicly responded to the allegations.
When contacted for a reaction on Thursday, WAEC Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, declined to comment on the matter, saying, “No comment for now.”
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