The House of Representatives committee on basic education and examination bodies has summoned the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to answer for concerns about delayed SSCE papers and other irregularities.
The committee, on Thursday, asked the council to appear before it on Friday, May 30, 2025.
The 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates commenced on April 24 and is scheduled to conclude on June 20, 2025.
The 2025 WASSCE English paper was scheduled for May 28, but was held hours behind schedule in several centres across the country.
This resulted in late-night papers, with many students across the country groaning from waiting too long.
WAEC said its focus on curbing question leakage unintentionally led to logistical setbacks and delayed the smooth running of the paper.
Oboku Abonsizibe Oforji, chairman of the house of representatives committee, has now issued a 24-hour ultimatum to WAEC.
He said the ultimatum followed WAEC’s failure to honour an earlier invitation to appear before the panel on May 27.
Oforji said the committee had asked WAEC to explain the widespread complaints and irregularities observed during the ongoing SSCE.
He expressed disappointment at WAEC’s absence during the scheduled hearing on May 29, describing it as unacceptable given the scale of public outcry over the conduct of the exams.
“The examinations have been riddled with serious irregularities. We’ve received reports of students writing exams as late as midnight in some centres across the country,” Oforji stated.
“The house felt it necessary to summon WAEC to explain these developments and the trauma candidates are currently facing.
“However, WAEC responded this morning, saying they couldn’t appear due to their involvement in the ongoing exams. Ironically, this is the very reason we are asking them to appear.”
Oforji said lawmakers would be compelled to invoke the constitutional powers of the house if the council failed to appear by May 30.
“Our intention is not to witch-hunt WAEC but to seek answers that will calm public tension and prevent a recurrence of these challenges,” he said.
“WAEC has been conducting exams for decades, and we have never experienced this level of disorganisation.
“Something is wrong, and it must be addressed.”
