The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has announced that 983 out of 1,955 candidates failed the May 2026 bar final resit examination, representing a 50.3% failure rate. The results were approved at the council's third-quarter hybrid meeting held on Thursday, August 13, 2026, and disclosed in a statement on Monday, August 17, 2026.
Breakdown of Results
Aderonke Osho, the secretary to the council and director of administration, released the figures via the X handle @CLE_NLS. According to the statement, 885 candidates passed outright, 55 obtained conditional passes, 983 failed, 32 were absent, and the results of 19 others were withheld.
Osho stated: "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."
Pass Rate and Comparison with 2025
The council put the overall pass rate at 45.3%, meaning 54.7% of candidates did not meet the required standard. The failure rate of 50.3% marks a significant increase from the 2025 bar final resit, where 608 out of 1,675 candidates failed, a 36.3% failure rate. This represents a 38.6% increase in the failure rate year on year.
Context and Related Developments
The bar final examination is the qualifying assessment administered by the CLE for candidates seeking to be called to the Nigerian Bar. In related news, the CLE released its August 2026 list of universities authorised to admit students into the LL.B programme, warning that students enrolled in unapproved programmes will be barred from the Nigerian Law School. Three institutions, including Baze University and Lead City University, are under moratorium and cannot admit new law students.
Additionally, Israel Adeniyi, a graduate of the University of Ilorin with a CGPA of 4.83, was named the Overall Best Student at the Nigerian Law School in 2026, beating 6,009 successful candidates.
