The controversy surrounding the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results has taken a fresh turn after a senior official of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) alleged that technical glitches and irregularities may have affected candidates, particularly those who sat the computer-based version of the examination.
Olanrewaju Fadehan, Head of Examinations at the WAEC office covering Anambra State, made the allegations in a video that has gone viral, which have added a new dimension to the mounting concerns over the credibility of this year’s results.
The complaints have been centred largely on unexpected grades recorded by some candidates following the expanded introduction of Computer-Based Testing for the examination.
READ RELATED NEWS UPDATES
‘I’m not going to apologise. I didn’t do anything wrong’ — Davido over Edo governor WAEC result post
WAEC withholds 167,486 results as pass rate drops
How to Check WAEC Result Without Visiting a Cyber Café
Fadehan said the signs of trouble became apparent around the period the results were released. He noted that the results had initially been expected between August 3 and 5, but alleged that last-minute adjustments were required before their publication.
“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, and Igbo among the subjects he mentioned.
His comments also raised questions about the performance of some candidates in Igbo, particularly in the South-East, where the language is widely spoken.
Fadehan further drew attention to schools that invested heavily in preparation for WAEC’s transition to CBT. He claimed that some institutions spent more than N60m on facilities designed to accommodate the new examination format, only to encounter problems during the process.
“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.
The official also claimed that some candidates were not given appropriate calculators during the examination. He linked this alleged shortcoming to poor performances in Mathematics and other subjects requiring calculations.
Fadehan said he had previously raised concerns about the alleged problems with the relevant authorities. He claimed that he petitioned the WAEC Board, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examining Bodies and the Minister of Education.
He further alleged that his complaints were followed by disciplinary action and his subsequent 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.
The allegations did not stop at examination administration. Fadehan also accused the examination body’s management of possible financial impropriety involving the supply of calculators, students’ identification cards, and charges imposed on candidates and other users of WAEC services.
Those claims have not been independently established, and WAEC has yet to provide a substantive response.
When contacted for its reaction on Thursday, WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, declined to comment.
“No comment for now,” she said.
The controversy had already been gathering momentum before Fadehan’s intervention. School administrators and education advocates have questioned the grades obtained by some candidates, particularly where the results appeared inconsistent with their previous academic records and performances in other standardised assessments.
The situation is particularly sensitive because examination results can determine university admission, scholarship opportunities, and the next academic step for thousands of young Nigerians.
For students and parents, the issue is not simply about marks on a result sheet. A disputed grade can alter an admission decision, force a candidate to retake an examination or close an opportunity that may not return easily.
For WAEC, the challenge is equally significant. The council’s credibility depends on public confidence that its examinations are administered fairly and that results accurately reflect candidates’ performances.
The allegations therefore put renewed attention on the management of CBT, particularly the technology, equipment, examination procedures and quality-control mechanisms supporting the transition.
Fadehan’s claims are allegations, not established findings. Any investigation would need to determine whether the reported irregularities occurred, how many candidates were affected, and whether the problems materially altered their results.
Until such questions are answered, the 2026 WAEC results will continue to face scrutiny from students, parents, schools, and education stakeholders seeking clarity over what went wrong and whether affected candidates have a credible avenue for redress.
