WAEC Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Irregularities in 2026 WASSCE Results

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is facing growing scrutiny over its 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, following allegations by school administrators and education advocates of grading inconsistencies, technical problems and possible irregularities linked to the council’s expanded use of Computer-Based Testing (CBT).

The concerns emerged after some schools reported that students who had performed strongly in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and other assessments received unexpectedly low grades in the 2026 WASSCE.

The Director of Impact House Model Schools, Mowe, Ogun State, Sam Abdulazeez, said his school had observed a significant decline in students’ performance in the 2025 and 2026 WASSCE despite retaining its teaching staff, improving facilities and intensifying examination preparations.

Abdulazeez said the school had presented candidates for WASSCE since 2017 and had consistently recorded strong results, particularly in Mathematics and English Language.

He recalled that all 45 candidates presented by the school for Mathematics in 2024 obtained A1. However, he said the school’s results declined in subsequent years following the introduction of serialisation and CBT.

According to him, more than 30 of the school’s 69 candidates who sat for the 2026 UTME scored above 300, while none scored below 200.

He said the school had conducted 22 mock UTME examinations to prepare students for the computer-based format.

Despite the strong UTME performances, Abdulazeez said only about three or four of the 69 candidates obtained A1 in Mathematics in the 2026 WASSCE.

He said some students who had scored as high as 98 in Mathematics in the UTME failed to achieve the grades expected in the WASSCE.

The school director also expressed concern about the English Language results, saying several students who had performed strongly in the UTME received B and C grades.

Abdulazeez attributed the school’s previous strong performance to its teaching standards and investment in facilities. He said the school employed teachers with at least second-class upper degree qualifications and had invested substantially in infrastructure after WAEC announced plans to expand computer-based examinations.

However, he said the school experienced technical problems during a WAEC mock examination shortly before the examination.

According to him, WAEC officials attempted to conduct the exercise on two separate occasions, but the systems reportedly failed to connect properly to the council’s server.

He said the school subsequently contacted WAEC officials in Ogun State and Lagos and expressed concerns about allowing its candidates to take the examination through what it considered an unreliable system.

Abdulazeez said WAEC eventually approved the school to conduct a paper-based examination, despite the school having initially been listed on the CBT platform.

He also alleged that similar concerns had arisen with the school’s 2025 WASSCE results, claiming that some grades appeared to have changed on the result portal after the results were initially released.

The school director said the experience prompted him to delay publishing the 2026 results in anticipation of possible adjustments. He eventually released the results after no changes were observed.

He further raised concerns about serialisation, particularly in subjects such as Mathematics, English Language, Economics and Biology.

Abdulazeez called for an independent review of the 2026 WASSCE results, saying examination-related technical or administrative problems should not jeopardise students’ academic futures.

Another school administrator, who requested anonymity, alleged that some students with high UTME scores and strong previous academic records received D7, E8 and F9 grades in core WASSCE subjects.

The administrator claimed that two affected students who had already secured admission to the University of Ibadan were recorded as having failed Mathematics and English Language in the 2026 WASSCE results.

Educationist Fola Adekeye urged WAEC to ensure that its examination and result-processing procedures met the highest standards of integrity.

Adekeye said examination bodies should investigate complaints proactively rather than waiting for public criticism before addressing possible problems.

He cited concerns surrounding the 2025 UTME as an example of why examination authorities should identify and resolve technical or procedural problems promptly.

Adekeye, however, cautioned against making unsubstantiated accusations against WAEC, stressing that his primary concern was the credibility and integrity of the examination system.

He urged WAEC to upgrade its facilities where necessary and clearly communicate changes to its examination methods, curriculum and assessment procedures before implementation.

Meanwhile, the Initiative for School Excellence and Education Foundation, through its solicitors, Zuriel Law Practice, has threatened legal action against WAEC over alleged irregularities in the conduct and processing of the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE.

The organisation said it had received complaints from candidates alleging discrepancies in the recording and processing of their examination responses.

In a formal demand, the lawyers asked WAEC to preserve original electronic records, including candidate response databases, system audit trails, server logs and scoring records.

They also requested disclosure of the technical standards, regulations and manuals governing the 2026 computer-based examination, as well as a mechanism through which affected candidates could inspect their examination records.

The organisation proposed an independent audit of the CBT platform by education and information technology experts.

It gave WAEC 14 days from receipt of the letter to confirm preservation of the records and establish procedures for reviewing the disputed results.

The lawyers warned that failure to engage could result in legal proceedings seeking orders for disclosure, verification and human review of affected results.

The founder of ISEE, Alex Onyia, also called for greater transparency in WAEC’s grading system, particularly amid allegations of question leakage at some paper-based examination centres.

He questioned whether candidates who sat examinations under different conditions were appropriately standardised during the grading process.

Onyia urged WAEC to publish raw-score distributions, grade thresholds for major subjects and details of how candidates from different examination modes were standardised.

He also called for clarification of the process available to candidates who wish to challenge their results.

“This is not an attack on WAEC. It is a demand for accountability,” Onyia said.

He urged the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Assembly to invite WAEC Nigeria’s leadership to explain the methodology used in processing the 2026 results.

WAEC, however, has defended the credibility of the 2026 WASSCE results, saying they were produced through rigorous and quality-assured processes.

The council’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, said WAEC had noted comments from content creators and social media commentators questioning the accuracy and credibility of the results.

She said the 2026 WASSCE for School Candidates was conducted in accordance with WAEC’s established standard operating procedures and relevant educational policies, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.

Adesina said candidates’ scripts passed through a multi-tiered system of marking, moderation and auditing based on standardised marking schemes and supervised by vetted subject experts.

The council urged candidates, parents, schools and members of the public to avoid relying on unverified claims circulating on social media and advised those with concerns to contact WAEC directly through its offices and verified communication channels.

The latest controversy comes amid wider concerns about the reliability of Nigeria’s examination systems. In 2025, former Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, publicly apologised for errors that affected the 2025 UTME results.

The dispute over the 2026 WASSCE has consequently renewed calls for greater transparency, independent verification and stronger safeguards as Nigeria’s examination bodies increasingly adopt technology-driven assessment systems.