INEC Suspends Electoral Officer Over Alleged Voter Data Leak
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended an electoral officer allegedly linked to the unauthorised disclosure of voter registration details belonging to Nollywood actor and politician, Emeka Ike.
INEC disclosed this on Thursday, stating that investigations into the incident are ongoing and involve security agencies as well as data protection regulators.
The National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, made the disclosure during a fireside chat organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) in Abuja.
The controversy emerged after the voter registration details of Emeka Ike surfaced online during a dispute connected to a political party primary election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to INEC, preliminary findings indicate that its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure was not hacked and that there was no breach of the national voter register.
The Commission explained that the voter record was allegedly accessed through valid login credentials assigned to officials participating in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and was subsequently disclosed without authorisation.
INEC said its internal audit system enabled investigators to trace the access to a specific user account, leading to the identification and questioning of personnel with access to the platform.
As part of disciplinary measures, the officer allegedly connected to the incident has been suspended pending the conclusion of investigations.
The electoral body reiterated its commitment to safeguarding voters’ personal information and maintaining the integrity of its data management systems.
INEC added that further actions would be taken based on the outcome of the ongoing investigations.