INEC has questions to answer over CVR database leak – Atiku

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Monday stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has questions to answer over the unauthorised disclosure of information from its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database.

Atiku, who is also the African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 presidential candidate, said while INEC has tried to reassure Nigerians that there was no external hacking of its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure, the commission admitted that sensitive voter information was accessed through valid official credentials and released without authorisation.

The former Vice President, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said it is disturbing that the material in question was voluntarily published by Lere Olayinka, spokesman to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

He noted that “INEC’s statement has moved this issue beyond conjecture. The Commission has now confirmed that voter information was accessed through credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise and that such information was released without authority. That admission alone should concern every Nigerian.

“What Nigerians want to know is simple: how did information that resides within a restricted electoral database find its way into the hands of political actors and their associates? The fact that there was no external hack does not diminish the gravity of the incident. If anything, it raises even more troubling questions about internal controls, institutional safeguards, and the possibility of political interference.”

He continued, “INEC has confirmed that this information was retrieved using authorised credentials. Nigerians deserve to know how material obtained from a restricted electoral platform found its way into the public domain through individuals closely associated with a serving minister. That question remains unanswered.

“What makes this entire episode impossible to ignore is that the information in question did not emerge from a whistleblower, an investigative journalist, or an anti-corruption agency. It was publicly released by Mr Lere Olayinka, spokesman to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. INEC has now admitted that the information originated from its restricted voter registration database and was accessed using valid official credentials.”

Olayinka had, in a social media post last weekend, shared the voter details of a Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) House of Representatives aspirant, Emeka Ike.

Consequently, Atiku stated that Nigerians deserve to know how information stored within a supposedly secure electoral database could travel from INEC’s internal system into the possession of the aide of a serving minister.

The ADC candidate, who welcomed the involvement of the Department of State Services (DSS)—which the electoral body says has commenced an independent investigation—insisted that the complete findings from the investigation must be published.

According to him, “The credibility of the 2027 election will not be determined solely on election day. It is being shaped right now by the willingness of institutions to demonstrate transparency, accountability, and independence.

“Nigeria cannot afford a situation where confidence in electoral institutions is weakened before campaigns have even properly commenced. The Nigerian people deserve to know that their data is protected, that electoral systems remain secure, and that no politician—regardless of influence or position—enjoys privileged access to the machinery of democracy.”