Fact-Check: Claim That Ekiti State Has Over 80% Pass Rate in SSCE Is Unsubstantiated

Claim: The campaign director-general, Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s Campaign Organisation, claimed in an interview on Channels Television on Thursday night that the pass rate of the school certificate examination in Ekiti State is over 80%.

Verdict: Unsubstantiated.

Full Story:

Ekiti State residents will decide who governs the state for the next four years in the governorship election scheduled for June 20, 2026.

Governor Biodun Oyebanji, the incumbent, is seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Less than forty-eight hours before the poll, the governor’s campaign director-general, Senator Cyril Fasuyi, appeared on Channels Television.

During the interview, he discussed the election dynamics and the party’s strategies and mobilised support for the governor’s re-election bid. While defending the administration’s performance in the education sector, Senator Fasuyi claimed that the pass rate of school certificate candidates in Ekiti State is over 80 percent.

Election periods are often characterised by intense political messaging, and claims about government performance can influence voter perceptions. Given the significance of the assertion, NDRFactCheck examined available data to determine its accuracy.

Verification

NDRFactCheck reviewed publicly available records from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the body responsible for conducting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

WAEC’s published results provide national performance statistics but do not routinely publish state-by-state pass rates. A review of WAEC’s official publications did not reveal any data showing that Ekiti State recorded a pass rate of over 80 percent in recent examinations.

The NDR fact-check also examined reports citing the 2025 WASCE results. Available national figures indicated that 62.69 percent of candidates obtained credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. However, these figures relate to nationwide performance and do not provide a breakdown for Ekiti State.

Further checks on official publications from the Ekiti State Ministry of Education did not reveal any verified data supporting the claim that the state’s school certificate pass rate exceeds 80 percent.

While several reports have highlighted Ekiti State’s high literacy rate and reputation for educational attainment, literacy statistics are different from WAEC pass rates and cannot be used as evidence for the claim.

Conclusion

No publicly available official data from WAEC or the Ekiti State Government was found to substantiate the claim that the pass rate of school certificate candidates in Ekiti State is over 80 percent.

Therefore, the claim remains unsubstantiated, as the campaign director-general did not provide verifiable evidence to support it and no official records were found to confirm it.

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