The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, over alleged examination malpractice.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, in Lagos by Dr Amos Dangut, Head of the WAEC Nigeria National Office, during the official release of the 2026 WASSCE results.
Also read: WAEC warns against illegal WASSCE extortion
Dr Dangut said the withheld results were linked to various forms of examination malpractice, including the continued use of mobile phones in examination halls despite an existing ban and organised cheating in some schools.
He noted that the percentage of withheld results declined from 9.7 per cent in 2025 to 8.59 per cent this year, indicating a modest improvement.
“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organised cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues,” Dr Dangut said.
The WAEC chief disclosed that some supervisors and invigilators allegedly caught aiding examination malpractice had been arrested and would face disciplinary action through the appropriate state ministries of education.
A total of 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools across Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea registered for the examination, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the papers conducted between April 24 and June 19, 2026.
According to the performance statistics, 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
Meanwhile, 1,687,378 candidates, or 86.50 per cent, secured credits in a minimum of five subjects, regardless of whether English and Mathematics were included.
WAEC said the pass rate for candidates who obtained five credits, including English and Mathematics, dropped by 1.42 percentage points compared with the 2025 examination.
Of the candidates who attained the benchmark of five credits, including English and Mathematics, 558,883 were male, representing 28.65 per cent, while 641,631 were female, accounting for 32.89 per cent. Overall, 997,267 females and 953,459 males participated in the examination.
The council also revealed that 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, had their results fully processed and released. Results for another 116,031 candidates, or 5.95 per cent, were still being processed.
Dr Dangut said 1,213 candidates with special needs participated in the examination, including 137 visually impaired candidates, 491 candidates with hearing impairment, 55 spastic and mentally challenged candidates, and 41 physically challenged candidates.
The 2026 diet marked the second edition of the Computer-Based WASSCE for School Candidates, following the introduction of the format in 2025.
WAEC said it strengthened the examination process by introducing the Digital Examiner Mark System, serialising question papers to reduce malpractice, and launching a new portal that enables candidates to generate e-PINs directly to check their results.
Also read: WAEC warns against illegal WASSCE extortion
Dr Dangut, who described the briefing as his third and final results announcement as Head of the WAEC Nigeria National Office, also stated that candidates sponsored by state governments owing the council would not have their results released until the outstanding debts were settled.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
