Atiku, INEC Clash Over Alleged Internal Voter Data Breach
The controversy surrounding the alleged leak of voter information from the Independent National Electoral Commission database has deepened, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar demanding a comprehensive investigation into what he described as a possible case of internal compromise and political interference.
INEC, in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, confirmed it had launched a probe into the unauthorised disclosure of information relating to a candidate who participated in recent party primaries in the Federal Capital Territory.
The commission disclosed that preliminary findings ruled out any external breach of its Continuous Voter Registration database. According to the electoral body, “there was no external breach of the CVR database, no hacking incident, and no unauthorised external access to the commission’s ICT infrastructure.”
Instead, INEC stated that “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 added that its audit trail had identified the user account through which the data was accessed, while personnel involved were being questioned.
INEC further clarified that the incident involved only a specific voter record and did not compromise the personal data of over 90 million registered voters. The Department of State Services, according to the statement, had independently commenced its own investigation.
Reacting to the disclosures, Atiku, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, argued in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, that INEC’s clarification raised more questions than answers.
“The fact that there was no external hack does not diminish the gravity of the incident. If anything, it raises even more troubling questions about internal controls, institutional safeguards, and the possibility of political interference,” Atiku said.
He drew attention to the involvement of Lere Olayinka, spokesman to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who publicly disclosed the contested voter information. “What makes this entire episode impossible to ignore is that the information in question did not emerge from a whistleblower, an investigative journalist, or an anti-corruption agency,” Atiku stated.
The former vice president linked the leak to recent remarks by Wike, who predicted that Atiku would not secure up to 10 percent of votes in Rivers State during the 2027 presidential election. “What was the basis of such extraordinary confidence?” Atiku asked, suggesting the episode revealed concerns about whether certain political actors enjoyed privileged access to neutral institutions.
The controversy stems from a post by Olayinka on X last Saturday, in which he shared screenshots containing the voter registration details of Nollywood actor Emeka Ike, who unsuccessfully contested the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency seat under the Nigerian Democratic Congress. The screenshots included Ike’s application number, registration centre, Voter Identification Number, profile photograph, and date of application.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Ike described the disclosure as “the height of political rascality” and confirmed plans to pursue legal action, insisting his privacy had been violated.
Atiku urged INEC to release the full chain of custody of the leaked data, warning that the matter had become “a test of whether Nigeria’s electoral institutions are truly insulated from political influence.”