The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has admitted that one of its personnel improperly accessed and released the voter registration data of Nollywood actor Emeka Ike, prompting an ongoing internal investigation.
INEC, however, clarified that its voter database was not hacked and that there was no external breach of its ICT infrastructure.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the commission said it commenced an investigation after allegations emerged on social media claiming that information from its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) system had been accessed without authorisation and later published online.
According to INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, the commission considers the matter serious and has moved swiftly to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 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 (CVR) database and the subsequent publication of information on a candidate in the recent primaries of a political party in the Federal Capital Territory,” Haruna stated.
“The Commission takes this allegation seriously and has immediately commenced a thorough investigation to establish the facts surrounding the incident.”
INEC explained that access to the CVR system is strictly limited to authorised officials engaged in voter registration duties during the ongoing nationwide exercise.
The commission noted that registration officers were granted controlled access to process new registrations, transfers, and updates to voter records, stressing that such access is meant strictly for official assignments and is withdrawn after the exercise.
Haruna disclosed that a preliminary audit trail had already identified the user account used to access the actor’s information.
“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 said.
INEC added that it is currently examining technical, administrative, and operational factors connected to the matter in order to establish individual responsibility and determine whether internal access-control protocols were violated.
The electoral body maintained that its broader voter registration infrastructure remains secure despite the incident.
“Preliminary findings from the Commission’s audit trail so far, however, 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,” the statement read.
“Rather, the information in question was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise but released without authority.”
INEC further stated that the incident involved the retrieval of a single voter record and did not compromise the personal data of more than 90 million registered voters across the country.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to accountability and data protection, adding that security agencies, including the Department of State Services, are also investigating 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,” Haruna added.
INEC also urged members of the public and the media to avoid speculation while investigations continue, promising to provide updates on its final findings and any disciplinary actions taken.
The controversy began after the actor’s voter registration information was shared online by Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.