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The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59% of those who sat the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, citing alleged examination malpractice.

The figure marks a decline from the 9.7% recorded in 2025.

Announcing the release of the results in Lagos on Wednesday, WAEC Nigeria’s Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, said the withheld results stemmed from infractions such as the use of mobile phones in examination halls despite a ban, and organised cheating in some schools. He added that supervisors and invigilators caught aiding malpractice had been arrested and would face disciplinary action through state education ministries.

Announcing the release of the results in Lagos on Wednesday, WAEC Nigeria’s Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, said the withheld results stemmed from infractions such as the use of mobile phones in examination halls despite a ban, and organised cheating in some schools. He added that supervisors and invigilators caught aiding malpractice had been arrested and would face disciplinary action through state education ministries.

Performance Breakdown

1,959,668 candidates registered across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea.

1,950,726 candidates sat for the exam.

1,200,514 candidates (61.54%) obtained credits in at least five subjects including English and Mathematics.

1,687,378 candidates (86.50%) secured credits in five subjects with or without English and Mathematics.

The number of candidates with credits in five subjects including English and Mathematics fell by 1.42 percentage points compared to 2025.

Of those who achieved credits in English and Mathematics:

558,883 (28.65%) were male.

641,631 (32.89%) were female.

Overall, females accounted for 51.12% of candidates, while males made up 48.88%.

WAEC disclosed that 1,834,695 candidates (94.05%) had their results fully processed and released, while 116,031 (5.95%) results were still being processed.

Special Needs Candidates

A total of 1,213 candidates with special needs participated, including:

137 visually impaired

491 with hearing impairment

55 spastic/mentally challenged

41 physically challenged

Innovations and Reforms

The 2026 examination was the second edition of the Computer-Based WASSCE. WAEC introduced several innovations, including:

Digital Examiner Mark System to speed up result processing.

Serialisation of question papers to curb malpractice.

A new portal allowing candidates to generate e-PINs directly to check results.

The exams were conducted between April 24 and June 19, 2026, with 102,708 examiners marking scripts across 88 venues.

Dangut, who noted this was his final briefing as WAEC Nigeria’s National Office head, stressed that candidates sponsored by states owing the council would not have their results released until outstanding debts were cleared.

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