An Accra High Court has rejected a request from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for a stay of execution on an earlier ruling that mandated the release of withheld results from the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). WAEC had withheld the results of around 10,000 WASSCE candidates across various subjects, citing alleged examination malpractices and irregularities in its announcement on December 30, 2024.
However, on January 30, 2025, the High Court ruled in favour of four students who had petitioned on behalf of all affected candidates. The court ordered WAEC to release the results without any prejudicial footnotes, stating that the council’s justification for withholding them was ambiguous and inconsistent. The court further held that keeping the results indefinitely could hinder the academic and professional progress of the students.
Despite this ruling, WAEC filed for a stay of execution pending an appeal. However, during a hearing on February 20, 2025, presiding judge Justice Ali Baba Abature dismissed the application, ruling that WAEC had failed to provide sufficient justification for its actions. The court also imposed a GHS 5,000 fine on WAEC.
By: Collins Frimpong