The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has launched an investigation into the alleged unauthorised disclosure of actor Emeka Ike’s voter information, following claims that data from the commission’s voter registration database was improperly accessed and published.
The electoral body disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the probe was initiated after allegations emerged regarding unauthorised access to its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database and the subsequent publication of information relating to actor Emeka Ike, a candidate in the recent Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) primary election 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,” the statement said.
INEC explained that authorised registration officers participating in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise are granted limited access to certain sections of the database strictly for official duties such as registering new voters, processing transfer requests and updating voter records.
“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 the 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“Such access is restricted to official duties only and is withdrawn at the conclusion of the exercise,” the commission stated.
The electoral body revealed that a preliminary review of its audit trail had already identified the user account through which the information was accessed.
It added that relevant personnel connected to the incident have been questioned while all departments involved are cooperating with investigators.
“Accordingly, relevant personnel have been questioned, and all units connected with the incident are cooperating fully with the investigation.
“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,” INEC said.
The commission further disclosed that the Department of State Services (DSS) has commenced a separate
investigation into the matter.
INEC pledged full cooperation with security agencies and warned that anyone found culpable would face the appropriate legal consequences.
The commission, however, reassured Nigerians that the incident does not suggest a compromise of its wider voter registration infrastructure or the personal data of more than 90 million registered voters nationwide.
According to INEC, the retrieval of a single voter record should not be interpreted as evidence that the entire database has been breached.
The controversy followed allegations by veteran actor Emeka Ike that his personal information was exposed from the INEC portal.
Ike had threatened legal action against Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the alleged publication of his voter details.
The actor recently contested for the House of Representatives seat representing the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and Bwari Federal Constituency under the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
The outcome of the investigations by both INEC and the DSS is expected to determine whether there was a breach of internal protocols and whether any individual improperly accessed or disclosed confidential voter information.
