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 who participated in a recent political party primary election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the Commission said it takes the allegations seriously and has commenced a thorough probe to establish the facts surrounding the incident.
According to INEC, preliminary findings from its audit trail revealed that the information was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to personnel involved in the ongoing CVR exercise, rather than through any external cyberattack or hacking incident.
The Commission explained that authorised registration officers were granted controlled access to specific components of the CVR system to facilitate voter registration, transfers, and updates, stressing that such access is strictly limited to official duties.
INEC disclosed that it has identified the user account through which the information was accessed and has already questioned relevant personnel while continuing investigations into possible breaches of internal access-control protocols.
The electoral body maintained that there was no breach of its ICT infrastructure and no indication that the personal data of more than 90 million registered voters had been compromised.
“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,” the statement said.
INEC also revealed that the Department of State Services (DSS) has independently commenced an investigation into the matter, while assuring Nigerians of its commitment to protecting voter information and maintaining the integrity of its database.
The Commission urged members of the public and the media to disregard speculation and await the outcome of the ongoing investigations, promising to provide updates on its findings and any actions taken.
