The controversy surrounding the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results has intensified following allegations of technical and administrative irregularities by a senior official of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The official, Olanrewaju Fadehan, who heads examinations at WAEC’s Anambra office, made the allegations in a video that has circulated widely on social media.
Fadehan claimed that candidates who took the computer-based version of the examination were particularly affected by problems surrounding the processing and release of the results.
He alleged that some of the difficulties became apparent around the period the results were due to be released, claiming that last-minute adjustments were made before the results were published.
According to him, candidates who sat the computer-based examination may have been affected in subjects including Mathematics, English Language and Igbo.
He also raised concerns about the reported performance of some candidates in Igbo, particularly in the South-East, where the language is widely spoken.
The WAEC official further alleged that schools that invested substantially in facilities for the council’s transition to computer-based testing were negatively affected by the development.
He ???that some schools had spent more than N60 million on establishing facilities in preparation for the CBT system.
Fadehan also alleged that some candidates experienced difficulties with the provision of calculators during the examination, which he said could have affected performance in Mathematics and other subjects requiring calculations.
The official said he had previously raised concerns about issues he observed during the examination and subsequently communicated his complaints to relevant authorities.
He claimed that his complaints were directed to the WAEC Board, the House of Representatives Committee responsible for basic education and examining bodies, as well as the Minister of Education.
Fadehan further alleged that disciplinary action was taken against him after he raised the concerns and that he was subsequently placed on interdiction.
He called for an investigation into the factors responsible for what he described as the poor performance of some candidates, particularly those who participated in the computer-based examination.
The official also made allegations concerning financial practices within the examination body, including issues relating to the supply of calculators, candidates’ identification cards and charges for certain services.
He called on the Federal Government and other relevant stakeholders to investigate the claims and ensure that the credibility of the examination system is protected.
The allegations come amid separate concerns raised by some school administrators and education stakeholders over the 2026 WASSCE results.
Some of the complaints have centred on alleged discrepancies between candidates’ expected performance and the grades appearing on their results, as well as claims of technical difficulties associated with the expanded adoption of computer-based testing.
However, the allegations made by Fadehan have not been independently established, and it remains unclear how many candidates or schools may have been affected by the issues he identified.
When contacted for WAEC’s response, the council’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, declined to comment on the allegations.
The latest development is likely to increase calls for greater clarification from WAEC on the processes used to generate, verify and release the 2026 WASSCE results, particularly in relation to the computer-based examination.
