The controversy over the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results has intensified after a senior WAEC official in Anambra alleged that technical glitches and other irregularities affected candidates, particularly those who took the examination through the Computer-Based Testing system.
Olanrewaju Fadehan, Head of Examinations at the WAEC office covering Anambra, made the claims in a video that has circulated widely online. He alleged that problems became apparent around the release of the results, which he said had initially been expected between August 3 and 5.
Fadehan claimed WAEC had to make last-minute adjustments before publishing the results. He said the changes may have affected candidates in subjects including Mathematics, English and Igbo, raising fresh questions about the reliability of the 2026 WASSCE results.
The official also questioned reports of poor performance in Igbo among some candidates in the South-East, where the language is widely spoken. He further alleged that schools that invested heavily in CBT facilities were badly affected, with some reportedly spending more than N60 million to prepare for WAEC’s transition to computer-based examinations.
Another concern raised by Fadehan was the provision of calculators during the examination. He alleged that some candidates were not given appropriate calculators, which he said may have contributed to weak performance in Mathematics and other subjects requiring calculations.
Fadehan said he had raised concerns about the alleged problems during the examination and later petitioned the WAEC Board, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examining Bodies, and the Minister of Education. He alleged that instead of his complaints being addressed, he faced disciplinary action and was subsequently placed on interdiction.
He called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other relevant authorities to investigate the reported problems, particularly the performance of candidates who opted for CBT. Fadehan also made allegations involving the management of WAEC, including issues relating to calculators, student identification cards and charges paid by candidates and other users of the examination system.
The allegations come as WAEC is already facing scrutiny over the 2026 WASSCE results. School administrators and education advocates have raised concerns about alleged grading anomalies and technical problems following the wider rollout of CBT, including claims that some students received grades that appeared inconsistent with their previous academic performance.
WAEC has not publicly responded to the latest allegations. Its Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, told The PUNCH on Thursday that the examination body had “No comment for now.” The claims therefore remain allegations pending an independent investigation or an official explanation from WAEC.
