By Abigail David
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of 167,486 candidates who sat the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates over alleged examination malpractice.
Announcing the release of the results in Lagos on Wednesday, the Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, said the withheld results represent 8.59 per cent of candidates who wrote the examination. He noted that the figure is lower than the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025.
According to Dangut, the alleged malpractice cases include the use of mobile phones in examination halls despite existing restrictions and organised cheating in some schools. He added that some supervisors and invigilators accused of aiding malpractice had been arrested and would face disciplinary action through the appropriate state ministries of education.
WAEC said 1,950,726 candidates sat the examination after 1,959,668 registered across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea. Of those who took the examination, 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, while 86.50 per cent earned at least five credits regardless of English and Mathematics.
The council also disclosed that 94.05 per cent of candidates had their results fully processed and released, while 5.95 per cent were still being processed. Candidates sponsored by states owing WAEC will not have their results released until the outstanding debts are settled.
