The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of 167,486 candidates who sat the 2026 Computer‑Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School Candidates.
The figure represents 8.59% of candidates, a decline from 9.7% recorded in 2025.
Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, announced the release of the results in Lagos on Wednesday.
He said the council withheld the affected results due to various infractions.
Infractions And Arrests
Dangut explained that the increasing use of mobile phones in examination halls despite the ban was a major issue.
He also cited organised cheating in some schools.
“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organised cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues,” he said.
He added that some supervisors and invigilators found assisting candidates had been arrested.
They will face disciplinary action through the relevant state ministries of education.
Performance Breakdown
A total of 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the examination across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea.
Of these, 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the examination.
1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54%, obtained credits and above in at least five subjects including English Language and Mathematics.
1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50%, secured credits and above in a minimum of five subjects with or without English Language and Mathematics.
The number of candidates who obtained credits in five subjects including English and Mathematics dropped by 1.42 percentage points compared with 2025.
Of the 1.2 million candidates who achieved credits in English and Mathematics, 641,631 were female.
Overall, 997,267 females and 953,459 males participated in the examination.
WAEC said 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05%, had their results fully processed and released.
The results of 116,031 candidates, representing 5.95%, were still being processed.
Innovations And Special Needs
WAEC disclosed that 1,213 candidates with special needs participated in the examination.
They included 137 visually impaired candidates, 491 with hearing impairment, 55 spastic and mentally challenged candidates, and 41 physically challenged candidates.
The 2026 examination marked the second edition of the Computer‑Based WASSCE for School Candidates.
Dangut said the council introduced several innovations to improve the process.
These included the Digital Examiner Mark System, serialisation of question papers, and a new portal that allows candidates to generate e‑PINs directly for checking results.
The examination was conducted between April 24 and June 19, 2026, with 102,708 examiners involved in marking across 88 venues.
Dangut, who described the briefing as his third and final engagement as WAEC Nigeria National Office head, said candidates sponsored by states indebted to the council would not have their results released until payments were cleared.
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