WAEC cannot be judge and jury – NUGS calls for probe into canceled results

The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has called for an independent probe into the mass withholding of over 20,000 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

NUGS National Chairman, Noah Osei Asenso, stated that WAEC’s actions lacked transparency and fairness.

“Let’s probe into all those papers they say they have canceled. Because you cannot be a judge, jury, and executioner,” Asenso declared in an interview with ABC News GH on February 21.

He argued that many students had been unfairly affected and called for an overhaul of WAEC’s examination review process.

According to him, if WAEC suspected malpractices, there should be clear and independent mechanisms to verify them rather than blanket cancellations.

The controversy follows a legal battle between WAEC and affected students.

The Accra High Court, on January 30, 2025, ruled against WAEC’s decision to withhold results, ordering the body to release them without prejudicial markings.

Presiding Judge Justice Ali Baba Abature dismissed WAEC’s appeal for a stay of execution, stating that its justification was ambiguous and inconsistent.

The court further imposed a GHS 5,000 fine on WAEC and warned that indefinite withholding of results could jeopardize students’ futures.