WAEC releases 2026 results: Here’s why candidates from certain states won’t see theirs yet

• WAEC says candidates sponsored by indebted states will not access their results until payments are made.

• The council did not disclose the names of the affected states or number of candidates involved.

• WAEC withheld 167,486 results over suspected examination malpractice.

• Candidates with released results can check online and access digital certificates within 48 hours.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, but some students may not be able to access their results because of outstanding debts owed by their state governments to the examination body.

The Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Josiah Dangut, disclosed that candidates sponsored by states indebted to the council would not have their results released until the outstanding payments are made.

Dangut said the affected candidates are not being denied results because of their performance or any examination-related offence, but because their sponsoring states have not fulfilled their financial obligations to WAEC.

“I need not restate the fact that the results of candidates who are sponsored by States indebted to the Council will not be released now until payment is made,” Dangut said.

“We appeal to the concerned to do so to enable the affected schools/candidates access their results.”

WAEC, however, did not disclose the names of the indebted states or the number of candidates affected by the decision.

Aside from candidates affected by state debts, WAEC also announced that it withheld the results of 167,486 candidates over suspected examination malpractice.

The figure represents 8.59 per cent of the total candidates who sat for the examination and is lower than the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025.

According to Dangut, some of the major issues contributing to examination malpractice include the increasing use of mobile phones inside examination halls despite the existing ban and organised cheating in some schools.

He added that supervisors and invigilators found to have aided malpractice during the examination have been apprehended.

The council said cases involving examination malpractice are being investigated before final decisions are made on the affected results.

The malpractice-related withheld results are separate from those affected by unpaid debts owed by state governments.

WAEC also disclosed that 1,213 candidates with special needs participated in the 2026 WASSCE.

The figure included 137 visually challenged candidates and 491 candidates with impaired hearing, among others.

The council said it continued to provide support measures to ensure candidates with special needs could participate in the examination.

RELATED: Ekiti governor awards full scholarship, ₦2 million to 14-year-old world spelling bee champion Damilola Adeolu

Candidates whose results have been released can check them online through http://www.waecdirect.org. within 12 hours of the announcement.

WAEC also introduced a portal where candidates can directly generate electronic PINs required to access their results.

The council further announced that candidates can access their digital certificates 48 hours after checking their results, while hard copies of certificates will be available within 90 days.

However, candidates affected by state government debts will have to wait until the outstanding obligations are cleared before they can access their results.

The council has not provided a timeline for when affected candidates will receive their results, but appealed to indebted states to settle their obligations to enable students to access their examination outcomes.