The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of 167,486 candidates who sat for the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates over alleged examination malpractice.
The figure represents 8.59 per cent of the total number of candidates who wrote the examination and marks a slight improvement from the 9.7 per cent malpractice rate recorded in 2025.
Announcing the release of the 2026 WASSCE results in Lagos on Wednesday, Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, attributed the withheld results to various forms of examination misconduct, including the use of mobile phones in examination halls and organised cheating in some schools.
According to Dangut, despite repeated warnings and existing regulations prohibiting the use of phones during examinations, the practice remains a major challenge confronting the examination body.
He also disclosed that some supervisors and invigilators implicated in aiding malpractice had been apprehended and would face disciplinary action through their respective state ministries of education.
A total of 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 test.
WAEC revealed that 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 and above in a minimum of five subjects irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.
The council noted, however, that the percentage of candidates who obtained five credits, including English and Mathematics, declined by 1.42 percentage points when compared to the 2025 results.
A breakdown of the successful candidates showed that 558,883 males and 641,631 females obtained credits in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
WAEC further disclosed that 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent of those who sat for the examination, had their results fully processed and released, while the results of 116,031 candidates were still undergoing processing.
The examination body also highlighted its commitment to inclusivity, noting that 1,213 candidates with special needs participated in the examination. The candidates included those with visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical disabilities and other special conditions.
The 2026 examination was the second edition of the Computer-Based WASSCE for School Candidates. Dangut said WAEC introduced additional innovations such as the Digital Examiner Mark System, serialised question papers and a dedicated portal that enables candidates to generate e-PINs for result checking.
The examination was conducted between April 24 and June 19, 2026, with 102,708 examiners participating in the marking process across 88 centres nationwide.
Dangut also warned that candidates sponsored by state governments indebted to WAEC would not have access to their results until all outstanding obligations were settled.
