The member representing Ikwo/Ezza South federal constituency, Ebonyi State, in the House of Representatives, Comrade Chinedu Ogah, has given the West African Examination Council (WAEC) a seven-day ultimatum to release the results of 192,089 candidates it withheld

In a statement obtained by The Guardian in Abakaliki on Wednesday, Ogah insisted that if, after the seven days, the examination body refused to release the results, he would institute legal action against it, saying that enough is enough.

WAEC Head of National Office (HNO), Dr Amos Dangut, announced on Monday the release of this year’s WAEC results, revealing that 192,089 candidates, representing 9.75 per cent of those who sat the examination, were withheld due to various reported cases of examination malpractice.

But Ogah, in a quick reaction to the development, expressed displeasure over the seizure of the results, urging the examination body to release the results or face legal action immediately.

Ogah, who is House Committee Chairman on Reformatory Institutions, said that withholding the results will frustrate the affected candidates and prevent them from getting admission into higher institutions, stressing that the excuse for withholding the results is very flimsy.

His words, “It is very unfortunate that after candidates wrote their WAEC and JAMB to enter university, WAEC will withhold their results on flimsy excuses and prevent them from getting admission into the university.

“WAEC has supervisors, examiners and external examiners who monitor and supervise schools during exams and no complaints or evidence of malpractice. When it is time to release the results of the candidates, we will start hearing complaints about withholding of results over examination malpractice to frustrate young people of this country.

“This is unacceptable and a pure act of sabotage. They don’t do this in Ghana; they don’t do it in other West African countries.

“WAEC should release the results of the candidates they are withholding within seven days. Failure to do this, I will take them to court for abuse of office.

“If there is any evidence of malpractice when their invigilators, supervisors and external examiners are supervising the exams, they should cancel the exam on the spot, and not when candidates are already processing their admission into the university, they will withhold their results to frustrate them and push them into vices,” he said.