Huge Concern as 983 Candidates Fail 2026 Bar Final Resit Exam
- The Council of Legal Education has approved the May 2026 bar final resit results at its third-quarter hybrid meeting on Thursday
- Out of 1,955 candidates who sat the examination, only 885 passed outright while 983 failed
- The 2026 resit failure rate is significantly higher than the 36.3 per cent recorded during the 2025 bar final resit
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering basic and tertiary education in Nigeria and worldwide
FCT, Abuja - Nearly half of all candidates who sat the May 2026 bar final resit examination have failed, with 983 out of 1,955 candidates missing the prescribed pass mark, the Council of Legal Education (CLE) has announced.
The secretary to the council and director of administration, Aderonke Osho, said the CLE approved the results at its third quarter hybrid meeting held on Thursday, August 13, 2026.
Osho disclosed the figures in a statement on Monday, August 17, 2026, via the X handle @CLE_NLS.
Osho said “885 candidates” recorded a pass, while “55 candidates” obtained conditional passes.
She added that “983 candidates” failed the examination, while 32 candidates were absent and the results of 19 others were withheld.
"A total of 1,955 candidates sat for the examination. The results are summarised as follows: Pass: 885 candidates. Conditional Pass: 55 candidates. Fail: 983 candidates, Absent: 32 candidates. Withheld: 19 candidates."
2026 Bar Final resit exam pass rate
The council put the overall pass rate at 45.3 per cent, meaning 54.7 per cent of candidates who sat the examination did not reach the required standard.
Of those who received a result, 885 passed outright, while a further 55 received a conditional pass.
The failure figure of 983 represents 50.3 per cent of the total number of candidates who sat the examination.
Failure rate up from 2025
The outcome marks a sharp deterioration compared with the previous year's resit. In the 2025 bar final resit, 608 out of 1,675 candidates failed, putting the failure rate at 36.3 per cent.
The jump from that figure to 50.3 per cent in 2026 represents a 38.6 per cent increase in the failure rate year on year.
The bar final examination is the qualifying assessment administered by the CLE for candidates seeking to be called to the Nigerian Bar.
122 universities approved to offer law in Nigeria
Recall that the Council of Legal Education released its August 2026 list of universities authorised to admit students into the LL.B programme in Nigeria.
The Council warned that students who enrol in unapproved Law programmes will be barred from gaining admission into the Nigerian Law School.
Three institutions, including Baze University and Lead City University, appear on the list but are currently under moratorium and cannot admit new Law students.
2026 best Nigerian Law school graduate
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that Israel Adeniyi graduated from the University of Ilorin with a CGPA of 4.83 out of 5.0, the highest in the faculty's history.
Adeniyi beat 6,009 successful candidates to emerge as the Overall Best Student at the Nigerian Law School in 2026.
The 2026 best law graduate opened up about a difficult first year in university, a late father, and the discipline behind his record-breaking results.
Source: Legit.ng
