Election Tribunal: We’ll never allow ourselves be dragged into politicking — WAEC

The West African Examinations Council(WAEC) has said it would never be allowed itself to be dragged into partisan politics by any politician or their agents at whatever level in the country.

The Head of National Office, WAEC Nigeria, Mr Patrick Areghan, made this clear on Thursday in a statement made available to newsmen by the head of the public affairs unit of the organisation, Mrs Moyosola Adesina.

He expressed disappointment at which some social media organisations alleged WAEC in recent times to have attempted to pervert the course of justice by allegedly “conniving with some highly placed persons whose electoral victories in the last national elections are being challenged in court by their opponents” without supporting their reports with facts.

Areghan noted that part of the reports was an allegation that “top WAEC Directors at the Yaba office received huge sums of money in several tranches to conceal and doctor information on WAEC records concerning some defendants and that the organisation has been complicit in denying all litigants access to examination records in proof of their cases in court.

He said all those claims including that, “an investigative agency had gone to Ghana and completed investigations on a particular matter, while efforts to do same in Nigeria were blocked by some WAEC officials” were all fabricated news by the authors.

Areghan declared that WAEC would have ignored all the allegations since they are baseless and malicious, but came up with a reaction for the purpose of putting the record straight and doing some enlightenment in the interest of the Nigerian public and for the sake of the country’s education sector.

WAEC boss explained that the council with a clear mandate of conducting examinations for SS3 students and awarding certificates to them has never in its 71 years history engaged in unethical practice and would not do so.

He said WAEC had been appearing in court for years, on invitations to confirm the authenticity of its results, certificates, or documents tendered by some litigants, and would not hesitate to do the same once called upon irrespective of the persons involved.

He explained further that it’s embarrassing that some media organisations could be ignorant that WAEC Ghana cannot answer for Nigeria WAEC on issues that concern Nigeria and vice versa as two of them just like three other WAEC member countries keep separate records of results, certificates and documents of their candidates either in the school-based or external examinations.

“Or how do we explain the claim by the media that some investigators from Nigeria went to Ghana for investigations on a matter and had concluded investigations but only to be blocked by WAEC Nigeria when in actual fact no member country has the results, records, and documents of other member countries in its possession,” he queried.

He said, “That is why it is laughable and insulting to say that WAEC officials collected bribes to pervert the course of justice on a matter it has no knowledge of.”

Areghan, however, declared that even though a candidate can have either one or both his or her result and certificate lost due to theft, fire, flood and so forth, no candidate can claim to have a certificate without result.
Even at that, he added, such a candidate can either request for Result Confirmation or a certificate reprinted as the case may be only when proof of ownership of such document is provided.

“So, as an organisation, we shall remain apolitical and always say the truth, no matter the person involved.

“It is only that we are imploring the media not to allow themselves to be used by politicians for their selfish gains. When they are in doubt, they should always come forward and follow the procedure to get their facts before going to press.

“Going to the public with fake news is unethical and will not in any way do the country and its people any good rather causing havoc in the system and tarnishing the image of the media profession and that of the country.

“WAEC doesn’t deserve unnecessary attack from any quarters.

“So, let WAEC be so as to focus on its mandate for the sake of the education sector and the country at large.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Full text: See Obi’s written address to Tinubu

Labour Party legal team, led by Livy Uzoukwu (SAN), on Thursday, filed their final written address in response to…

46-year-old Nigerian ‘mysteriously’ dies in Scotland 

Security and health experts in Glasgow, Scotland are battling to unravel the mystery surrounding the sudden death of…

PHOTOS: ‘I’ll never be broke in life’, reactions as Wizkid attends Tony Elumelu daughter’s graduation party

Nigerian billionaire businessman Tony Elumelu invited Wizkid as he organises a ‘sip and paint’ to celebrate his…

Subsidy: 10 ways to reduce fuel consumption

Amidst the early days of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in Nigeria, the nation has been grappling with a staggering increase in…

Messi scores on debut as Inter Miami wins league cup match 

Argentine Superstar Lionel Messi scored on his debut for Major League Soccer side Inter Miami as they secured a victory over…

The spread of diphtheria

RECENTLY, Nigeria has been facing an unprecedented scourge of diphtheria, and so soon after the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been found in…