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Candidates for the Mathematics 1 and 2 papers in the 2016 November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) scheduled to hold on Saturday, September 10, in Edo State have called for the postponement of the governorship election.
The candidates staged a protest at the Government House in Benin, condemning the decision of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to relocate them to neighbouring Delta and Ondo states.
A total of 1,742 candidates are expected to take Mathematics 1 and 2 papers on Saturday.
Spokesperson for the candidates, Iko Moses, lamented that the planned relocation would not only put them in a disadvantageous position but also affect their performance.
He said: “The plan to relocate us out of Edo State, our state, to other states for the examination because of the September 10 election in Edo State is an ill wind which will affect our chance to perform well in the examination.
“We have found this situation very disturbing, discouraging and we cannot take the risk. Environmental conduciveness has a great impact on students’ performance in examinations.
“We enrolled for this examination in Edo State and we have prepared for the examination in Edo State environment. We are psychologically used to the environment in terms of safety, comfort, and accessibility.
“You will agree with me that a threat to any of the mentioned indices is a threat to us and the outcome of the examination. We want to humbly say that as the election is important to the nation so is our exam important to us. It is even more important to us because without a good education, we cannot grow up to participate in the Nigerian democracy.”
He continued, “This examination is about our future and, therefore, we will not 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 take one of our most important examinations outside the state.
“President Muhammadu Buhari should come to our aid. The comrade governor should also come to our aid. Our future must not be sacrificed for an election.”
While some of the candidates said they could not afford to travel out of the state to write the exams, others said they were eligible to vote and so, would be denied the right to do so if the exam is allowed to hold same day.