Pat Stevens/
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has admitted that information published by Lere Olayinka, a media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was obtained from its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database.
The commission, however, insisted that there was no hacking or external breach of its systems.
In a statement on Tuesday, the electoral body disclosed that its preliminary investigation had traced access to the voter information through a valid user account assigned to personnel involved in the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The revelation marks the first official acknowledgement by INEC that the information circulated in the controversy surrounding a candidate in a recent political party primary in the Federal Capital Territory originated from its database.
INEC said it had launched a comprehensive investigation after allegations emerged that voter information had been improperly accessed and disclosed.
“The Commission takes this allegation seriously and has immediately commenced a thorough investigation to establish the facts surrounding the incident,” said Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
According to the Commission, audit records have already identified the specific user account through which the information was retrieved.
“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,” Haruna said.
The controversy erupted after Olayinka publicly released information relating to a candidate involved in a recent political party primary election in the FCT, prompting widespread questions about how confidential voter records were obtained.
While INEC did not mention Olayinka by name in its statement, the Commission said the matter under investigation concerns “the publication of information on a candidate in the recent primaries of a political party in the Federal Capital Territory”.
Significantly, the Commission ruled out claims that cybercriminals had penetrated its systems.
“Preliminary findings from the Commission’s audit trail so far 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,” the statement said.
Instead, INEC disclosed that the information was accessed using legitimate login credentials assigned to officials participating in the voter registration exercise.
“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 Commission stated.
The electoral body explained that registration officers involved in the ongoing CVR exercise were granted controlled access to designated sections of the database to enable them process new registrations, voter transfers and record updates.
“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,” Haruna said.
He added that such access was strictly limited to official duties and was ordinarily withdrawn at the conclusion of the exercise.
INEC stressed that the incident did not amount to a compromise of its entire voter register, which contains the records of more than 90 million registered voters nationwide.
“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,” the statement said.
The Commission also revealed that the Department of State Services had commenced a separate investigation into the matter.
“Furthermore, the Department of State Services (DSS), on its own accord, has commenced an independent investigation into the matter,” Haruna disclosed.
INEC said it would continue to cooperate with security agencies and would prosecute any individual found responsible for violating its data protection and access-control protocols.
The development is likely to intensify scrutiny of the handling of voter information by electoral officials and raise fresh questions about internal safeguards designed to protect sensitive personal data held by the Commission.
Although INEC has ruled out hacking, its admission that information was obtained using authorised credentials has shifted attention to possible insider involvement and whether existing controls over access to voter records are sufficient to prevent misuse of sensitive electoral data.
The Commission said investigations remain ongoing and promised to make its final findings public upon completion.
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