Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has started looking into reports of unauthorized access to its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database, according to Mohammed Kudu Haruna, national commissioner and chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC),
Haruna, in a statement on Tuesday said that was aware of the allegations spreading on social media and in some news outlets.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission is aware of rumors currently circulating on social media and in certain media about unauthorized access to the Commission’s Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database.
These claims include the publication of information about a candidate from recent political party primaries in the Federal Capital Territory.
“The Commission takes this allegation very seriously and has quickly begun a thorough investigation to find out what really happened,” the statement noted.
INEC clarified that during the ongoing nationwide CVR process, registered officers were given limited access to specific parts of the registration system.
This access helps them manage voter registrations, transfer requests, and updates to voter records.
The commission stated that access to the information is only allowed for official duties and is taken away once the task ends.
Haruna revealed that initial findings from the commission’s audit trail helped pinpoint the user account used to access the information.
“The audit trail from our early investigation has allowed us to find out which user account was involved. As a result, we’ve questioned relevant staff, and all departments related to this matter are fully cooperating with the investigation,” it mentioned.
The commission also said it is looking into all technical, administrative, and operational details of the situation to figure out who is responsible and whether any internal access-control rules were broken.
However, INEC reported that its early findings indicated there was no outside breach of its systems.
Advertisement
“Our initial findings from the audit trail suggest that there was no external breach of the CVR database, no hacking incident, and no unauthorized outside access to our ICT systems.”
“Instead, the information in question was accessed using valid user credentials assigned to personnel involved in the ongoing CVR exercise but was released without proper authorization,” added the statement.
The commission emphasized that this incident involved retrieving a specific voter record and did not indicate any risk to the overall voter registration system or the personal data of over 90 million registered voters.
“The investigation is focused on the retrieval of a specific voter record and does not suggest any risk to the overall voter registration system or the personal data of over 90 million registered voters, according to the statement.
INEC emphasized that it is dedicated to safeguarding voter information and ensuring the integrity of its electoral systems.
“The Commission clearly states that it takes the security, privacy, and integrity of voter data very seriously. It remains committed to transparency, institutional integrity, and protecting voters’ personal details,” the statement noted.
The commission also announced that the Department of State Services has started its own investigation into this issue.
“Additionally, the Department of State Services has independently begun an investigation. The Commission will fully cooperate with all relevant security agencies and will not hesitate to take legal action against anyone found responsible,” the statement continued.
INEC encouraged the public and media to refrain from making assumptions while investigations are ongoing, promising that it will share its findings and any actions taken in due time.
