The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is facing intense pressure to provide transparent answers following its admission that sensitive material from the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database was accessed and disclosed without authorisation.
The political storm intensified on Monday when former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, demanded a full accounting of how restricted data fell into the hands of partisan actors. The breach came to light after Lere Olayinka, spokesperson to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, publicly posted the personal voter details of opposition House of Representatives aspirant Emeka Ike on social media.
While INEC has sought to reassure the public that its core Information and Communications Technology infrastructure was not compromised by external hackers, it confirmed the data was exfiltrated using valid, official credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku warned that the admission raises troubling questions regarding institutional safeguards and internal oversight. He emphasised that the gravity of the incident remains severe despite the absence of an external cyberattack.
"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?" Atiku stated. "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."
The Department of State Services (DSS) has launched an independent investigation into the credential breach to identify the individuals responsible for the unauthorised leak. Atiku welcomed the development but insisted that the findings must be made entirely public to safeguard the credibility of the upcoming 2027 general elections.
Electoral observers note that maintaining public trust in data security is critical for INEC, as political figures warn that confidence in Nigeria's democratic machinery is being shaped long before official campaigns commence.