Emeka Ike: INEC To Probe Alleged Data Breach, Disclosure Of Voter Information

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun a probe over the leakage of actor Emeka Ike’s voter data and an alleged misuse of authorised access. 

In a statement on Tuesday, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Haruna, said the probe followed allegations regarding an alleged unauthorised access to the Commission’s Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database and the subsequent publication of information on a candidate (actor Emeka Ike) in the recent primaries of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) 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 in part. 

“As part of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise nationwide, authorised INEC Registration Officers were granted controlled access to specific components of the CVR system to enable them to register new applicants, process requests for the transfer of registration and update voter records where necessary. Such access is restricted to official duties only and is withdrawn at the conclusion of the exercise.” 

The commission said an audit trail from the preliminary investigation has enabled it 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 Commission is also examining all technical, administrative and operational factors associated with the matter in order to establish individual responsibility and determine the circumstances surrounding the use of those credentials and identify any breach of internal access-control protocols before taking appropriate action against anyone involved,” the electoral body said. 

INEC disclosed that the Department of State Services (DSS) has also commenced an independent investigation into the matter, promising to “cooperate fully with all relevant security agencies and will not hesitate to refer any person found culpable for appropriate legal action”.

But it assured that the retrieval of a specific voter record does not indicate any “compromise of the Commission’s broader voter registration infrastructure or the personal data of over 90 million registered voters”.

Ike had threatened to take legal action against Lere Olayinka, the media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, over the alleged exposure of his personal data from the INEC portal.

The veteran actor contested the House of Representatives seat for the AMAC/Bwari constituency under the NDC.