We can’t shift WASSCE for Edo governorship election –WAEC

The West African Examinations Council has said that shifting the date of the Mathematics examination in the September 10 West African Senior School Certificate Examination for the governorship election, which is scheduled to hold on the same day, could lead to leakages.

The council added that a relocation of the candidates, who would be sitting for the examination, to neighbouring states would also result in logistic challenges.

The Public Relations Officer, WAEC, Mr. Demianus Ojijeogu, said this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Thursday.

 Ojijeogu, who was in Benin, Edo State for a stakeholders’ meeting on a possible resolution of the development, however, said that shifting the date of the examination would lead to a leakage as candidates in four other African countries were expected to sit for the examination.

He said, “Mathematics is a core subject and we cannot shift the date of the examination. Candidates in Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia will also write the same examination. If we shift the date in Nigeria, you and I know that there will be a leakage.

“Other stakeholders at the meeting also suggested that we should relocate the candidates to neighbouring states but, again, that will be problematic. We did not quite agree with them. Many of these candidates still live with their parents. There will be challenges in the areas of accommodation and feeding, if we decide to relocate the candidates.

“But we are looking to resolve the matter. There is still room for discussion and we are looking at a situation where all the stakeholders will shift ground. The local consultative committee has already met and the national committee will meet on Tuesday,” he said.

Present at the Benin meeting were the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Operations, Habila Joshak; Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Adeyinka Shodipo; Head, Text Development Division, WAEC, Mr. Kafaru Ola; and the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, among others.