The crisis surrounding the recently released West African Examinations Council 2026 results for school candidates has deepened following allegations of technical glitches and administrative irregularities levelled by an official of the examination body.
The Head of Examinations at the WAEC office covering Anambra, Olanrewaju Fadehan, made the claims in a viral video, stating that candidates who sat the Computer-Based Testing version of the examination were the most affected.
Fadehan explained that problems became apparent around the release of the results, which was initially expected between August 3 and 5, 2026, noting that WAEC traditionally releases results on Mondays.
He said, “Obviously, there was a problem because the press was eagerly waiting on Monday, the scheduled date. There was a need to quickly do some last-minute adjustments. Something was wrong.”
He stated that the alleged adjustments impacted candidates who opted for the CBT format, particularly in core subjects including Mathematics, English, and Igbo. He also expressed concern over reports that candidates in the South-East recorded poor grades in Igbo, despite the language being widely spoken across the region.
Fadehan noted that secondary schools that made substantial investments to establish computer testing centres were severely affected by the glitches.
He alleged, “The call for a review this year is particularly disturbing, as it is alarming. Schools that subscribed to the CBT innovation of WAEC were badly hit. Some of them spent upwards of N60m and above to set up their CBT facilities,”.
The official further alleged that certain candidates were not provided with appropriate calculators during the examination, which he argued contributed significantly to poor performance in Mathematics and other calculation-based subjects.
Fadehan disclosed that he had officially petitioned various authorities regarding the irregularities, including the WAEC Board, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examining Bodies, and the Minister of Education.
He claimed that rather than investigating his concerns, the examination body subjected him to disciplinary proceedings and subsequently placed him on interdiction.
He said, “I call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to investigate the cause of failure of candidates, particularly those who chose the computer-based WAEC,”.
Fadehan also levelled allegations of financial impropriety against the management of the examination council, specifically regarding the procurement and supply of calculators, students’ identification cards, and various service charges imposed on candidates.
He urged the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to probe the allegations thoroughly, stressing that the integrity of the national examination system is vital to the future of Nigerian students.
When contacted for a reaction to the allegations on Thursday, the WAEC Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, declined to comment on the matter.
Adesina said, “No comment for now,”.
The development comes amid mounting scrutiny from school administrators and education advocates over grading anomalies and system glitches linked to the expanded CBT rollout, with complaints that high-performing students received lower grades than expected based on their past academic records and standardized assessment performances.
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