Written by
Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has launched an investigation into allegations of unauthorised access to its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database following the publication of information relating to a candidate in a recent political party primary election in the Federal Capital Territory.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC) Mohammed Kudu Haruna , the electoral body said preliminary findings showed that the information was accessed using valid credentials assigned to personnel involved in the ongoing CVR exercise, but was allegedly disclosed without authorisation.
The commission clarified that there was no evidence of external hacking, a breach of its ICT infrastructure, or unauthorised access by outsiders.
According to INEC, the incident appears to involve the misuse of authorised access rather than a cyberattack.
INEC said its audit trail had identified the user account through which the information was accessed, adding that relevant personnel had been questioned and investigations were ongoing to determine individual responsibility and whether internal access-control protocols were violated.
The commission stressed that the incident involved the retrieval of a specific voter record and did not compromise its wider voter registration infrastructure or the personal data of more than 90 million registered voters.
INEC also disclosed that the Department of State Services (DSS) has commenced a separate investigation into the matter, while assuring Nigerians of its commitment to protecting voter data and maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.
The commission urged the public and media to avoid speculation and await the outcome of the investigations, promising to make its findings public and take appropriate action against anyone found culpable.