INEC Probes Alleged Leak of Voter Data After FCT Primary Controversy

The Independent National Electoral Commission has launched an investigation into allegations of unauthorised access to its Continuous Voter Registration database following the publication of information relating to a candidate in a recent political party primary election in the Federal Capital Territory.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the commission was treating the matter with seriousness.

“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 authorised registration officers participating in the ongoing nationwide CVR exercise were granted limited access to specific parts of the system to carry out voter registration, transfer requests and updates of voter records.

According to the commission, such access is strictly restricted to official duties and withdrawn once the exercise concludes.

Haruna disclosed that preliminary audit findings had enabled the commission to trace the user account through which the information was accessed.

“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,” he stated.

INEC said it was investigating whether any internal access-control procedures were violated but stressed that there was no evidence of external hacking or compromise of its systems.

“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.

The commission clarified that the incident involved only the retrieval of a specific voter record and did not affect the wider voter registration system or the personal data of more than 90 million registered voters nationwide.

“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,” INEC said.

The electoral body reaffirmed its commitment to protecting voter information and maintaining the integrity of its electoral systems.

INEC also disclosed that the Department of State Services had independently commenced its own investigation into the incident.

“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,” the statement added.

The controversy followed a social media post by Lere Olayinka, who shared what appeared to be voter information belonging to actor and politician Emeka Ike.

Ike, who contested the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency seat under the Nigerian Democratic Congress, reportedly threatened legal action over the publication of his personal information, which allegedly included details from an INEC administrative portal.

Reacting during an interview on Channels Television, Ike described the incident as shocking and accused those involved of political recklessness.