The Head of Legal Affairs at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Rev. Victor Brew, has reaffirmed the council’s commitment to ensuring that no innocent candidate is wrongly penalized in cases of suspected examination malpractice.

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Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on Friday, February 21, 2025, he emphasized that WAEC follows a rigorous verification process before making final decisions on withheld results. According to him, the council remains firm in its stance and will not be pressured into prematurely releasing results of candidates involved in malpractice investigations.

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"We should not be pushed into a situation where people would cheat, have their results withheld for further investigation, and we end up either canceling the results of innocent candidates or releasing the results of those who have cheated. That is really the process," he stated.

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Rev. Brew explained that while WAEC understands concerns over delays in releasing results, the integrity of the examination process must be protected. He noted that external pressure, whether through media campaigns, court actions, or public demonstrations, will not influence the council’s decision-making.

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"No amount of media or court action or demonstrations should cause us to release the results of persons who have cheated," he stressed.

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His remarks come after the Accra High Court dismissed WAEC’s request for a stay of execution in a case involving more than 10,500 withheld results. The court, presided over by Justice Ali Baba Abature in January 2025, ruled that WAEC must release the results, describing the council’s application as unmeritorious and imposing a cost of GH¢5,000 against it.

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Rev. Brew acknowledged the concerns regarding the duration of malpractice investigations and stated that with additional resources, WAEC could speed up the process.

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"We can talk about the length of time WAEC is willing to look at, and we are saying that with more resources, we can do this work maybe more speedily," he added.

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In 2024, WAEC withheld the WASSCE results of over 10,000 candidates, citing evidence of examination malpractices. The council has since defended its decision, insisting that due process must be followed to ensure fairness for all candidates.

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