Lere Olayinka: INEC probes voter data leak, identifies user account involved

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has launched a full-scale investigation into allegations of unauthorised access to its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database following the circulation of voter information linked to Emeka Ike, a candidate in a recent political party primary election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Lere Olayinka, media aide to Nyesom Wike, FCT Minister had shared the details via his social media handles, prompting concerns from Nigerians over the safety of data held by the electoral body.

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 utmost seriousness and had already commenced efforts to determine how the information was accessed and disclosed.

According to Haruna, the commission’s preliminary audit has traced the incident to a specific user account assigned to personnel involved in the ongoing nationwide voter registration exercise.

He explained that registration officers participating in the Continuous Voter Registration exercise are granted controlled access to certain components of the voter registration system to enable them process new registrations, transfers and updates to voter records. Such access, he noted, is strictly limited to official responsibilities and is revoked at the end of the exercise.

“The audit trail from the preliminary investigation has enabled the Commission to identify the user account through which the information was accessed. Relevant personnel have been questioned, and all units connected with the incident are cooperating fully with the investigation,” the statement said.

INEC said investigators are examining the technical, administrative and operational dimensions of the matter to establish responsibility and determine whether internal access-control protocols were breached.

The electoral body, however, stressed that there was no evidence of an external compromise of its systems.

According to the commission, preliminary findings indicate that the information was obtained using valid login credentials issued to authorised personnel participating in the voter registration exercise and was subsequently released without approval.

“There was no external breach of the CVR database, no hacking incident and no unauthorised external access to the Commission’s ICT infrastructure,” Haruna stated.

INEC further clarified that the incident involved the retrieval of a single voter record and did not affect the security of its broader voter registration infrastructure or the personal information of more than 90 million registered voters nationwide.

The commission reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding voter information and maintaining the integrity of its electoral systems.

It also disclosed that the  (DSS) had independently commenced an investigation into the matter and assured that anyone found culpable would face appropriate legal consequences.

“The Commission will continue to cooperate fully with all relevant security agencies and will not hesitate to refer any person found culpable for necessary legal action,” the statement added.

INEC urged members of the public and media organisations to avoid speculation while investigations remain ongoing, promising to make its findings public upon conclusion of the probe.

The controversy arose after actor and politicia, Ike, accused Olayinka of improperly accessing and publishing his voter registration details.

Ike, who contested for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency seat in the FCT under the Nigerian Democratic Congress, expressed outrage after information believed to have been extracted from an INEC administrative portal surfaced online.

The information was reportedly shared by , who posted on social media that Ike had transferred his voter registration from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory.

Screenshots attached to the post allegedly contained sensitive details, including Ike’s application number, voter identification number, registration centre, photograph and date of registration.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Ike described the disclosure as shocking and characterised it as an example of political recklessness, while indicating that he was considering legal action over the incident.