Dare Babalola
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has identified the user account through which the voter registration details of actor and politician Emeka Ike were accessed and disclosed, as the Department of State Services (DSS) joins an ongoing investigation into the incident.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by Mohammed Kudu Haruna National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), the agency said preliminary findings from its internal audit trail had enabled the Commission to trace the access to a specific user account assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
The electoral body disclosed that relevant personnel had been questioned and that all units connected to the incident were cooperating fully with investigators.
INEC’s statement follows public outrage over the publication of Ike’s voter registration details on social media by Lere Olayinka, an aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
The screenshots allegedly revealed sensitive information, including Ike’s voter identification number, registration details, profile photograph and records relating to his transfer of voter registration from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory.
The controversy intensified after Ike accused Olayinka of invading his privacy and threatened legal action, raising questions about how the information was obtained and whether the security of INEC’s voter database had been compromised.
Addressing the concerns, INEC stated that its preliminary investigation found no evidence of a cyberattack, hacking incident or unauthorised external access to its ICT infrastructure.
According to the Commission, the information was accessed through valid credentials assigned to officials involved in the nationwide voter registration exercise but was subsequently released without authorisation.
“As part of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise nationwide, authorised INEC Registration Officers were granted controlled access to specific components of the CVR system to enable them register new applicants, process requests for transfer of registration and update voter records where necessary,” the Commission said.
INEC stressed that the incident under investigation involved the retrieval of a specific voter record and did not indicate any compromise of its broader voter registration infrastructure or the personal data of more than 90 million registered voters.
The Commission added that investigators were examining all technical, administrative and operational factors surrounding the incident to establish individual responsibility and determine whether internal access-control protocols were violated.
In a significant development, INEC revealed that the Department of State Services had independently commenced an investigation into the matter. The Commission said it would continue to cooperate with security agencies and would not hesitate to pursue legal action against any individual found culpable.
While urging the public to disregard speculation, INEC reiterated its commitment to protecting the confidentiality, integrity and security of voter information, promising to make public the outcome of its investigation and any disciplinary measures arising from the case.
The incident has reignited debate over data privacy, internal access controls and the protection of sensitive personal information within Nigeria’s electoral system.
