WAEC results crisis as official alleges CBT glitches, irregularities

A West African Examinations Council (WAEC) official, Olanrewaju Fadehan, has alleged that technical problems and last-minute adjustments affected some 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) candidates who sat the computer-based version of the examination.

Fadehan, who is identified as the Head of Examinations at WAEC’s office covering Anambra State, made the allegations in a video that has circulated widely online, noting that the problems were noticeable when organisation was about to release the results. The results were initially scheduled to be announced between August 3 and 5, 2026.

“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 him, candidates who took the computer-based examination were particularly affected, with Mathematics, English Language and Igbo among the subjects he identified.

He also raised concerns about the performance of some candidates in Igbo, particularly in the South-East, where the language is widely spoken.

The allegations come barely three weeks after WAEC released the results of the 2026 WASSCE for school candidates and amid continuing calls from parents, schools and education stakeholders for greater transparency over the examination’s marking and results-processing system of the 1.95 million candidates that sat for the examination.

On August 13, the council responded to growing criticism circulating on social media and said the results had been produced through the same marking, moderation and auditing procedures it had used over the years.

WAEC said every candidate’s script goes through a multi-tiered system involving marking, moderation and auditing, with standardised marking schemes and vetted subject experts.

The council also urged candidates, parents and members of the public to distinguish legitimate concerns from unverified claims and said mechanisms existed for submitting complaints and queries.

The ICIR reported that WAEC released the 2026 school candidates’ results on August 5.

The examination body said 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the examination, while 1,950,726 eventually sat for it.

Of those who sat the examination, 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

The figure represented a decline from the 62.96 per cent recorded in 2025, when 1,239,884 candidates met the same benchmark.

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WAEC also said 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, irrespective of whether English Language and Mathematics were included.

But the examination body disclosed at the time of the results release that not all candidates’ results had been processed.

According to WAEC, 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent of those who sat the examination, had their results processed and released, while the results of another 116,031 candidates, representing 5.95 per cent, were still being processed because of issues the council said it was working to resolve.

The council separately withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, or 8.59 per cent, over alleged examination malpractice.

WAEC attributed many of the malpractice cases to the use of mobile phones in examination halls and organised cheating in some schools.

Against this background, Fadehan in his video alleged that some candidates were not supplied with appropriate calculators during the examination, arguing that this could have affected performance in Mathematics and other calculation-based subjects.

He also said schools that invested heavily in computer-based examination facilities were also affected, alleging that some spent over N60 million establishing the facilities in anticipation of the transition to CBT.

“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 N60 million and above to set up their CBT facilities,” he alleged.

Fadehan said he had raised concerns over the alleged irregularities during the examination and later 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 addressing his complaints, WAEC subjected him to disciplinary proceedings and subsequently placed him on interdiction.

“I call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to investigate the cause of failure of candidates, particularly those who chose the computer-based WAEC,” he said.

He also alleged financial impropriety within the management of the examination body, raising concerns over the procurement and distribution of calculators, students’ identification cards, and various charges imposed on candidates and other users of WAEC’s services.

He called on the Federal Government and other relevant stakeholders to investigate the allegations, stressing that the credibility and integrity of the examination system were critical to the academic and professional futures of Nigerian students.

The ICIR contacted WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, via WhatsApp to seek clarification on the allegations. She has yet to respond to the questions sent to her on the claims as of the time of filing this report.

The Federal Government announced in July 2025 that it was working towards transitioning WAEC and the National Examinations Council from traditional paper-and-pencil examinations to computer-based testing by 2026.

WAEC subsequently expanded its CBT programme for school candidates.

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However, the 2026 examination did not involve a uniform nationwide transition to computer-based testing, as not all candidates sat the examination exclusively on computers.

The Federal Government described the implementation as phased, with schools that had adequate ICT infrastructure participating in CBT while others continued with the traditional paper-and-pencil format.

Reports during the examination period indicated that more schools had opted for the computer-based option, while others remained on the traditional format.

The allegations also come after WAEC acknowledged operational disruptions during the conduct of the 2026 examination.

In June, the council said it had commenced preliminary investigations into reports of delayed examinations at some centres.

WAEC attributed the disruptions to a combination of logistical and operational challenges, including protests over the abduction of schoolchildren and the deaths of three WAEC officials in a road accident in Gombe State.

There were also reports of candidates waiting for extended periods before some papers were eventually administered.

During the examination period, WAEC warned schools, supervisors and invigilators against allegedly extorting candidates through unauthorised charges.

The council said it had received reports of candidates being compelled to pay for items and services, including transportation, welfare packages and so-called cooperation charges.

It also specifically condemned instances where schools allegedly charged candidates for KAPEK calculators that WAEC said had been supplied free of charge.