The Independent National Electoral Commission says it has launched an investigation into allegations of unauthorized access to its Continuous Voter Registration database following the publication of information about a candidate in a recent political party primary in the Federal Capital Territory.
In a statement Tuesday, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee Mohammed Haruna said the commission was treating the matter seriously.
“The Commission takes this allegation seriously and has immediately commenced a thorough investigation to establish the facts surrounding the incident,” the statement said.
INEC said that during the ongoing nationwide CVR exercise, authorized registration officers were given controlled access to specific parts of its voter registration system to carry out voter registration, transfer requests and updates.
It said such access is strictly limited to official duties and is withdrawn after the exercise.
Haruna said preliminary findings from an audit trail identified the user account through which the information was accessed, adding that relevant personnel had been questioned and were cooperating with investigators.
INEC said it was reviewing technical, administrative and operational processes to determine whether internal access controls were breached.
However, the commission said preliminary findings indicated there was no external breach of its systems.
“There was no external breach of the CVR database, no hacking incident, and no unauthorized external access,” the statement said.
Instead, it said the information was accessed using valid credentials assigned to authorized personnel but released without approval.
INEC said the incident involved a single voter record and did not compromise the broader voter database, which contains information on more than 90 million registered voters.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to protecting voter data and ensuring the integrity of its electoral systems.
It also confirmed that the Department of State Services had launched a separate investigation into the matter.
INEC urged the public and media to avoid speculation while investigations continue, saying findings and any disciplinary actions would be made public.
The development follows allegations involving the alleged exposure of personal voter data belonging to actor Emeka Ike.
Ike had accused a media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lere Olayinka, of publishing his voter information, including personal details allegedly obtained from an INEC administrative portal.
Olayinka had posted on social media that Ike transferred his voter registration from Imo State to the FCT ahead of his political ambitions.
The post included screenshots that users alleged contained sensitive voter data.
Ike, in a television interview, described the publication of his details as a violation of privacy and said he was prepared to take action.
