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

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the commission was treating the matter with the utmost seriousness and had initiated a comprehensive probe to establish the facts surrounding the incident.

According to Haruna, preliminary findings from INEC's audit trail have enabled the commission to identify the user account through which the information was accessed.

“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,” the statement said.

INEC explained that, as part of the ongoing nationwide CVR exercise, authorised registration officers are granted controlled access to specific components of the voter registration system to process new registrations, transfer requests and updates to voter records. The commission noted that such access is strictly limited to official duties and is withdrawn at the conclusion of the exercise.

The electoral body said investigators are examining all technical, administrative and operational aspects of the incident to determine responsibility and establish whether any internal access-control protocols were breached.

However, INEC stressed that preliminary findings showed no evidence of an external cyberattack or compromise of its information technology infrastructure.

“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 read.

It added that the information in question was accessed through valid credentials assigned to personnel participating in the voter registration exercise but was subsequently released without authorisation.

The commission further clarified that the incident involved the retrieval of a specific voter record and did not indicate any compromise of its wider voter registration infrastructure or the personal information of more than 90 million registered voters.

“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,” INEC stated.

Reaffirming its commitment to data protection and electoral integrity, the commission said it remained dedicated to safeguarding voter information and maintaining public trust in the electoral process.

“The Commission wishes to state categorically that it takes the security, confidentiality and integrity of voter data with the utmost seriousness and remains committed to transparency, institutional integrity, and the protection of voters’ personal information,” it said.

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

“Furthermore, the Department of State Services, on its own accord, has commenced an independent investigation into the matter. The Commission will continue to cooperate fully with all relevant security agencies and will not hesitate to refer any person found culpable for appropriate legal action,” the statement added.

The commission urged the public and media organisations to refrain from speculation while investigations are ongoing, assuring that its findings and any actions taken would be made public in due course.

The controversy emerged after actor and former House of Representatives candidate Emeka Ike threatened legal action against Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the alleged exposure of his personal voter information.

Ike, who contested the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency seat in the FCT under the platform of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), lost in the election.

Olayinka recently came under criticism after sharing screenshots on his X account which appeared to contain Ike’s voter registration details. In the post, Olayinka claimed that Ike had originally registered as a voter in Imo State before transferring his registration to the FCT.

The screenshots reportedly displayed sensitive information, including Ike’s application number, registration centre, Voter Identification Number (VIN), profile photograph, name and date of application. Critics alleged that the information was obtained through an INEC administrative portal.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Ike described the disclosure as shocking and characterised it as an example of political recklessness.

This version follows a standard hard-news format, removes repetition, tightens quotations, and improves readability while preserving all key facts.