The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is aware of allegations circulating concerning the alleged unauthorised access to its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database and the subsequent release of information relating to a candidate in the recent primaries of a political party in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Commission in a statement by National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said it considers these allegations serious and has immediately commenced a full and thorough investigation to determine the facts surrounding the incident.
Haruna explained that as part of the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, authorised INEC Registration Officers were granted controlled access to specific components of the CVR system.
This access is strictly limited to official duties such as registering new voters, processing transfer requests, and updating voter records where necessary, and is withdrawn upon completion of the exercise.
He revealed that preliminary audit findings have enabled the Commission to trace the user account through which the information was accessed.
According to him, relevant personnel have been invited for questioning, and all units connected to the incident are fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
INEC is also reviewing all technical, administrative, and operational processes relating to the matter in order to determine individual responsibility, establish how the credentials were used, and identify any breaches of internal access-control protocols.
Appropriate disciplinary or legal action will be taken against any person found culpable.
Importantly, preliminary findings from the audit trail indicate that there was no external breach of the CVR database, no hacking incident, and no unauthorised external intrusion into the Commission’s ICT infrastructure.
Rather, the information in question was accessed using valid user credentials assigned to authorised personnel participating in the CVR exercise, but was subsequently released without proper authorisation.
The incident under investigation is limited to the retrieval and release of a specific voter record and does not indicate any compromise of the wider voter registration database or the personal data of over 90 million registered voters.
The Commission reiterates that it treats the security, confidentiality, and integrity of voter data with the highest level of seriousness and remains firmly committed to transparency, institutional accountability, and the protection of citizens’ personal information.
INEC also notes that the Department of State Services (DSS) has independently commenced its own investigation into the matter.
The Commission will continue to cooperate fully with all relevant security agencies and will not hesitate to take appropriate legal action where necessary.
Members of the public and the media are therefore urged to avoid speculation while investigations are ongoing.
The Commission will provide updates and communicate its final findings, as well as any measures taken, in due course.
Actor Emeka Ike reacts to the trending post made by Wike’s aide, Lere Olayinka, about his details. pic.twitter.com/PIkPnTBSY7
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