Candidates writing the 2016 November/December West African Senior Certificate Examination in Edo State, on Monday, protested the plan to move them outside Edo State to write the Mathematics 1 and 2 papers following clash in the paper and that of governorship election in the state on Saturday, September 10.
Reports indicate that WAEC would ask the 1,742 candidates, who registered to write Mathematics in the examination in Edo State to move to neigbhouring Ondo and Delta states due to the election.
The students, who stormed the Government House, Benin City, with placards with various inscriptions said holding the examination and the poll same day would disenfranchise them.
The students also said they would kick against any plan to be moved to other states for the Mathematics examination as planned by WAEC, adding that this would not only disorganise them but also put them at a disadvantage.
“The plan to relocate us out of Edo State, our state to other regions to sit for the examination because of the September 10 election in Edo State as scheduled by INEC will affect our chances of performing well in the examination. We have found this situation very disturbing, discouraging and we cannot take the risk.”
“Remember that the conduciveness of an environment has a great impact on the performance and outcome of examinations for students. We enrolled for this examination in Edo State and we have prepared for the examination in Edo State. We are used to the environment for safety, comfort, accessibility of examination centres and psychology.”
He said, “This examination is about our future, and therefore, we will not take or accept the risk. We call on INEC to do something about this situation. We call on all the political parties concerned to do something to save our future.
“The examination has already started in Edo State and it will be dangerous to now move us out of the terrain we are already used to and compel us to write one of the most important papers outside the state.”
Another candidate, Aliu Samson, said “Saturday will be the day I will be writing Mathematics. I am more than 18 years old and I’m a Nigerian. It is my basic duty to exercise my franchise on Saturday by voting. Due to the security situation in the country, it will not be ideal for me to travel outside my terrain to write my examination.”
In his response, Governor Adams Oshiomhole said the responsibility for fixing the governorship elections rests on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), explaining that he was not consulted when the election for September 10 was scheduled.