The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that its personnel improperly accessed and exposed the voter registration data of Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike.
However, the commission maintained that there was no external breach of its voter database.
INEC said it launched an investigation after allegations surfaced on social media claiming that information from its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) system was accessed without authorisation and subsequently published online.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Mohammed Haruna, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, said:
“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.
“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 controlled and limited to authorised officials carrying out registration-related duties.
“As part of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise nationwide, authorised INEC Registration Officers were granted controlled access to specific components of the CVR system to enable them to register new applicants, process requests for transfer of registration and update voter records where necessary. Such access is restricted to official duties only and is withdrawn at the conclusion of the exercise,” it said.
Haruna disclosed that a preliminary audit had identified the user account involved in the access.
“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.”
According to the electoral body, it is examining possible breaches of internal controls and determining individual responsibility.
“The Commission is also examining all technical, administrative and operational factors associated with the matter in order to establish individual responsibility and determine the circumstances surrounding the use of those credentials and identify any breach of internal access-control protocols before taking appropriate action against anyone involved,” it added.
“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. Rather, the information in question was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise but released without authority.
“The incident under investigation relates to the retrieval of a specific voter record and does not indicate any compromise of the Commission’s broader voter registration infrastructure or the personal data of over 90 million registered voters.”
INEC reaffirmed its commitment to data protection and accountability, adding that security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), are 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 stated.
“Members of the public and the media are therefore urged to disregard unfounded speculations while investigations remain ongoing. The Commission will continue to keep the public informed of its final findings and any measures taken in response to the incident in due course.”
The actor’s voter registration data was posted on social media by Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
