The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced an investigation into allegations of unauthorised access to its Continuous Voter Registration 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, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the commission was treating the matter with utmost seriousness.

“The attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission has been drawn to allegations currently circulating on social media and in some sections of the media regarding the alleged unauthorised access to the Commission’s Continuous Voter Registration database and the subsequent publication of information on a candidate in the recent primaries of a political party 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 read.

INEC explained that as part of the ongoing nationwide CVR exercise, authorised registration officers were granted controlled access to specific components of the registration system to enable them to carry out voter registration, transfer requests and updates to voter records.

According to the commission, such access is strictly limited to official duties and is withdrawn once the exercise concludes.

Haruna disclosed that preliminary findings from the commission’s audit trail had helped 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,” it said.

The commission added that it was examining all technical, administrative and operational aspects of the matter to determine responsibility and establish whether any internal access-control procedures were violated.

INEC, however, said its preliminary findings showed there was no external breach of its systems.

“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.

“Rather, the information in question was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise but released without authority,” the statement added.

The commission stressed that the incident involved the retrieval of a specific voter record and did not suggest any compromise of the wider voter registration system 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,” the statement said.

INEC reaffirmed its commitment to protecting voter information and maintaining the integrity of its electoral systems.

“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.

The commission also revealed that the Department of State Services had 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.

INEC urged members of the public and the media to avoid speculation while investigations continue, assuring that its findings and any actions taken would be made public in due course.

PUNCH Online earlier reported that Actor, Emeka Ike, had said he is prepared to take action against Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the alleged exposure of his personal data from the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Ike, a native of Imo State, contested the House of Representatives seat for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency in the Federal Capital Territory under the Nigerian Democratic Congress and lost.

Olayinka recently came under criticism after sharing what appeared to be Ike’s voter information via an INEC administrative webpage.

On his X handle on Saturday, Olayinka wrote that Ike was formerly a registered voter in Imo State before transferring his registration to the FCT.

Olayinka attached two images to the post, which many users said contained details obtained from INEC’s administrative login portal.

Some of the personal information in the screenshots included Ike’s application number, registration centre, Voter Identification Number, profile picture, name, and date of application.

Reacting during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Ike described Olayinka’s action as shocking and the height of political rascality. (PUNCH)

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