The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims of a major breach or external hacking of its continuous voter registration database. The commission attributed the unauthorised disclosure of Nollywood actor Emeka Ike’s voter information to the misuse of valid internal credentials by authorised personnel.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, INEC said its preliminary audit found no external intrusion into the system, which holds data on over 90 million registered voters. The commission explained that the leaked information on one specific voter record stemmed from controlled access granted to CVR officials for processing registrations, transfers, and updates.
The controversy began after Lere Olayinka, media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, shared screenshots on X on May 30 showing details of Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to the FCT. Olayinka posted the information, which appeared to come from INEC’s restricted administrative portal, while questioning the actor’s eligibility to contest a House of Representatives seat in Abuja following his recent primary activities.
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The post sparked outrage, with many Nigerians accusing Olayinka of gaining unauthorised access to a password-protected backend system meant only for INEC officials. Speaking on a Channels Television programme, Ike threatened legal action against Olayinka, describing the act as political rascality. INEC said it has identified the user account involved through its audit trail and is questioning relevant personnel.
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