WAEC Withholds 167,486 2026 WASSCE Results Over Alleged Exam Malpractice

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.

The withheld results account for 8.59 per cent of the 1,950,726 candidates who wrote the examination, marking a slight improvement from the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025.

Announcing the release of the results in Lagos, the Head of WAEC’s National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, said the council identified several cases of examination misconduct, including the use of mobile phones in examination halls and organized cheating in some schools.

He also disclosed that some supervisors and invigilators allegedly involved in aiding malpractice had been arrested and would face disciplinary measures through the relevant state ministries of education.

According to WAEC, 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea registered for the examination, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the tests.

The council said 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtained credit passes in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

It added that 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent, earned credits in at least five subjects, with or without English Language and Mathematics.

WAEC noted that the proportion of candidates who achieved five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, declined by 1.42 percentage points compared with the 2025 examination.