The Independent National Electoral Commission has confirmed that confidential voter information linked to Nollywood actor Emeka Ike, a House of Representatives aspirant under the National Democratic Coalition, was accessed using valid staff credentials and later released without authorization.
The Commission made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.
The development followed allegations of unauthorized access to the Commission’s Continuous Voter Registration database involving Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The controversy emerged after voter registration details linked to Emeka Ike appeared online shortly after he announced his intention to contest a House of Representatives seat in the Federal Capital Territory.
The records, which were shared by Olayinka, were alleged to have been obtained from the Commission’s restricted administrative portal.
INEC stated that it immediately launched an investigation after reports surfaced on social media and in parts of the media claiming that a candidate’s information had been extracted from its database and made public.
According to the Commission, preliminary findings indicated that there was no external breach of its database, no hacking incident, and no unauthorized intrusion into its information and communication technology infrastructure.
It further explained that the information was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to personnel involved in the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The statement read: “The information in question was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise but released without authority.”
INEC noted that registration officers involved in the exercise are granted controlled access to specific parts of the system to enable them register new voters, process transfer requests, and update voter records where necessary.
The Commission added that an audit trail from its preliminary findings helped identify the user account through which the information was accessed.
It also stated that relevant personnel have been questioned while all units connected to the incident are cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
INEC said it is currently reviewing the technical, administrative, and operational circumstances surrounding the incident to determine responsibility and assess possible breaches of internal access control protocols.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services, Department of State Services, has reportedly launched an independent investigation into the matter.
More details to follow.
