Abayomi Susan
Over 167,000 Results Withheld Over Alleged Examination Malpractice, Indebted Schools Also Affected
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced a slight decline in candidates’ performance in the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE), with 61.54 per cent of candidates obtaining credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
The figure represents a 1.42 percentage-point decline compared to the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates.
A total of 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the examination, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the exercise across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea.
Announcing the release of the May/June 2026 CB-WASSCE results, the Head of the National Office of WAEC, Dr. Amos Dangut, disclosed that 1,200,514 candidates secured the minimum requirement of five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, making them eligible for admission into tertiary institutions.
According to him, 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, with or without English Language and Mathematics.
“The percentage of candidates who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 61.54 per cent in the 2026 CB-WASSCE. This represents a marginal decline of 1.42 percentage points compared to the performance recorded in the 2025 examination,” Dangut stated.
Providing a breakdown of candidates, he said 953,459 candidates, representing 48.88 per cent, were male, while 997,267 candidates, representing 51.12 per cent, were female.
WAEC further disclosed that results of 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent of those who sat for the examination, have been fully processed and released. However, the results of 116,031 candidates, accounting for 5.95 per cent, are still being processed due to issues requiring further resolution.
Dangut assured affected candidates that efforts are ongoing to resolve the outstanding issues and release the pending results as soon as possible.
The examination body also revealed that the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of the total number of candidates, have been withheld over alleged involvement in examination malpractice.
Although the figure remains significant, WAEC noted that it represents an improvement from the 9.7 per cent recorded during the 2025 WASSCE for school candidates.
Dangut identified the use of mobile phones inside examination halls and organised examination malpractice in some schools as the major offences recorded during the exercise.
He explained that all reported cases are currently undergoing investigation and would be presented before the appropriate WAEC committee for review and final determination. He added that affected candidates would be informed of the outcome through their respective schools and would also have the opportunity to seek redress through the Council’s official complaints platform.
The WAEC Head of National Office reiterated the Council’s commitment to preserving the integrity of its examinations, warning that candidates, schools, supervisors and teachers found guilty of examination malpractice would face appropriate sanctions.
He also disclosed that results belonging to candidates from schools whose proprietors are indebted to the Council would remain withheld until all outstanding registration fees are paid. Similarly, candidates sponsored by state governments owing WAEC will not have access to their results until the debts are fully settled.
Dangut appealed to the affected schools and state governments to clear their financial obligations promptly to enable candidates access their results without further delay.
Despite the challenges encountered, Dangut described the 2026 CB-WASSCE as largely successful, noting that it marked the second edition of the school examination conducted using a computer-based format.
He, however, identified late registration by some schools, delayed submission of Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS), disruptions affecting one of the major examination papers, and the activities of fraudulent websites selling fake examination materials as some of the key challenges experienced during the exercise.
He called on governments, schools, parents and other stakeholders to continue supporting WAEC’s efforts to safeguard the credibility and integrity of public examinations across the region.
