The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has launched an investigation into the alleged unauthorised access to its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database following the publication of voter information linked to a candidate who participated in a recent political party primary election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The controversy emerged after Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, shared personal voter details of Nollywood actor and politician Emeka Ike, reportedly obtained from an INEC administrative portal.

Ike, who contested the House of Representatives seat for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency under the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), subsequently threatened legal action against Olayinka over the disclosure of his voter information.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the Commission had commenced a comprehensive investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

According to Haruna, authorised registration officers participating in the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration exercise were granted restricted access to specific sections of the CVR system to carry out official duties such as registering new voters, processing transfer requests and updating voter records.

He explained that such access is strictly limited to official responsibilities and is withdrawn at the conclusion of the exercise.

Haruna disclosed that preliminary investigations and audit trail reviews had enabled the Commission to identify the user account through which the voter information was accessed.

“As part of the investigation, relevant personnel have been questioned, while all departments connected to the matter are cooperating fully with the inquiry,” he said.

The Commission noted that it is examining all technical, administrative and operational aspects of the incident to establish individual responsibility, determine how the credentials were used and identify any violation of internal access-control procedures.

However, Haruna stressed that preliminary findings indicate there was no external breach of INEC’s voter registration database, no hacking incident and no unauthorised access to the Commission’s information technology infrastructure.

“Rather, the information was accessed using valid user credentials assigned to personnel involved in the ongoing CVR exercise and subsequently released without authorisation,” he stated.

INEC further clarified that the incident relates only to the retrieval of a specific voter record and does not suggest any compromise of the broader voter registration system or the personal data of more than 90 million registered voters nationwide.

The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the security, confidentiality and integrity of voter information, assuring Nigerians that appropriate action would be taken against anyone found culpable.

Haruna also revealed that the Department of State Services (DSS) has independently commenced an investigation into the matter.

He said INEC would continue to cooperate with relevant security agencies and would not hesitate to refer any individual found responsible for prosecution in accordance with the law.

The Commission urged members of the public and the media to avoid speculation while investigations remain ongoing and assured Nigerians that its final findings and any measures taken would be made public in due course.