SUNTV Global Channel | August 14, 2026
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) could face legal action over alleged irregularities surrounding the recently released results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE).
The Initiative for School Excellence and Education Foundation, through its legal representatives, Zuriel Law Practice, has given WAEC 14 days to preserve examination records, provide relevant information and establish a transparent process through which affected candidates can challenge and independently verify their results.
The demand was contained in a letter dated August 14, 2026, and addressed to the Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office in Yaba, Lagos.
The foundation said it had received complaints from a substantial number of candidates who expressed concerns about the accuracy, reliability and verifiability of their examination results.
According to the organisation, the complaints cover several aspects of the computer-based examination system, including how candidates’ answers were recorded and processed, how scores were generated and whether candidates have an effective way to determine how their final results were produced.
The foundation, however, clarified that it was not alleging that all results released by WAEC were inaccurate. Instead, it said the volume and nature of the complaints justified an independent examination of the processes used to generate the results.
Among the records it wants preserved and made available are candidates’ electronic examination responses, questions presented, changed answers, examination-session and timing records, individual question scores, raw scores, grading calculations and records of any manual intervention or reprocessing.
The organisation also wants WAEC to preserve information relating to technical problems, including system errors, interruptions, disconnections, lost responses and other incidents that may have affected candidates during the examination.
It further requested access to relevant technical standards, examination protocols and procedures governing candidate authentication, response storage, scoring, grading, quality assurance and the handling of technical failures.
The foundation cited provisions of Nigeria’s Data Protection Act 2023, arguing that candidates have rights relating to access to their personal data and safeguards concerning decisions made through automated processing.
It is also demanding the establishment of a formal review mechanism for candidates who have reasonable grounds to dispute their results.
Under the proposed mechanism, affected candidates would be able to access relevant electronic examination records, identify possible discrepancies and request a human review by a qualified examiner independent of the original automated scoring process.
Where errors are established or reasonably suspected, the foundation wants WAEC to consider reprocessing and re-scoring the affected results. It also proposed that candidates whose performances cannot reliably be reconstructed because of a material technical defect should be given an appropriate remedial examination opportunity.
The organisation has additionally called for an independent verification exercise involving experts in educational assessment and information technology to determine whether the examination platform and result-processing systems functioned accurately and consistently.
Alex Onyia, Chief Executive Officer of Educare, said the concerns should not be dismissed because the outcome of the dispute could affect students’ university admissions and future educational opportunities.
He urged WAEC to acknowledge and investigate any possible technical problems and correct results where candidates are found to have been wrongly affected.
The foundation said it deliberately withheld the identities of students who submitted complaints because some candidates and their parents feared possible consequences for challenging the examination authority.
WAEC has been given 14 days to confirm that relevant examination records have been preserved, disclose the framework governing the 2026 CB-WASSCE and explain how candidates can obtain their individual electronic examination records.
The organisation warned that failure to meaningfully engage with its demands within the specified period could lead to legal proceedings.
Any potential court action could seek orders compelling WAEC to preserve and disclose examination records, establish a candidate review mechanism, conduct independent verification and address any systemic defects found to have affected the reliability of the 2026 examination results.
The dispute could become a major test of transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s examination system, particularly as computer-based testing becomes increasingly important in secondary-school assessment.
SUNTV Global Channel will continue to monitor the matter and report any response from WAEC or further developments concerning the 2026 CB-WASSCE results.
