The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has launched an investigation into claims that its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database was improperly accessed following the circulation of voter information linked to a candidate who participated in a recent party primary in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a statement issued on Tuesday, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the electoral body was taking the allegations seriously and had begun a detailed inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission has been drawn to allegations currently circulating on social media and in some sections of the media regarding the alleged unauthorised access to the Commission’s Continuous Voter Registration database and the subsequent publication of information on a candidate in the recent primaries of a political party in the Federal Capital Territory.
“The Commission takes this allegation seriously and has immediately commenced a thorough investigation to establish the facts surrounding the incident,” the statement read.
INEC explained that personnel engaged in the ongoing nationwide voter registration exercise are granted limited access to specific parts of the CVR platform strictly for official duties such as new registrations, transfers and record updates. According to the commission, such access is revoked once the exercise ends.
The electoral body revealed that its preliminary audit had traced the access to a specific user account assigned to an official involved in the registration exercise.
“The audit trail from the preliminary investigation has enabled the Commission to identify the user account through which the information was accessed. Accordingly, relevant personnel have been questioned, and all units connected with the incident are cooperating fully with the investigation,” INEC said.
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The commission added that it is reviewing all technical and administrative processes related to the case to determine whether internal procedures were violated and who may be responsible.
However, INEC stressed that there is currently no indication that its systems were hacked or compromised by external actors.
“Preliminary findings from the Commission’s audit trail so far indicate that there was no external breach of the CVR database, no hacking incident, and no unauthorised external access to the Commission’s ICT infrastructure.
“Rather, the information in question was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise but released without authority,” the statement added.
INEC further clarified that the issue concerns the retrieval of a single voter record and does not suggest any wider compromise of its voter database, which contains information on more than 90 million registered voters.
“The incident under investigation relates to the retrieval of a specific voter record and does not indicate any compromise of the Commission’s broader voter registration infrastructure or the personal data of over 90 million registered voters,” it said.
The commission reiterated its commitment to safeguarding voter information and preserving public trust in the electoral process.
“The Commission wishes to state categorically that it takes the security, confidentiality and integrity of voter data with the utmost seriousness and remains committed to transparency, institutional integrity, and the protection of voters’ personal information,” the statement noted.
INEC also disclosed that the Department of State Services has independently opened a separate investigation into the matter.
“Furthermore, the Department of State Services, on its own accord, has commenced an independent investigation into the matter. The Commission will continue to cooperate fully with all relevant security agencies and will not hesitate to refer any person found culpable for appropriate legal action,” it added.
The controversy arose after Emeka Ike accused Lere Olayinka of exposing his personal voter information online.
Ike, who contested the AMAC/Bwari House of Representatives seat under the Nigerian Democratic Congress, said he was considering legal action after Olayinka shared screenshots appearing to originate from an INEC administrative portal.
The images reportedly contained personal details including Ike’s application number, voter identification number, registration centre, profile photograph and registration records.
Speaking on a television programme on Tuesday, Ike described the publication of the information as disturbing and condemned it as an abuse of access to personal data.
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