INEC Data Leak Sparks Political Row as DSS, Electoral Body Probe Insider Access

A leak of voter information from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s portal has triggered a political dispute, with Nollywood actor Emeka Ike threatening legal action against Lere Olayinka, media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, while INEC and the Department of State Services investigate an insider breach.

The controversy began last week after Olayinka posted images on X showing what appeared to be Ike’s voter details from an INEC administrative webpage. Olayinka wrote: “Emeka Ike was a registered voter in Imo State. He only transferred his INEC Registration to the FCT on May 15, 2026 (15 days ago). And he wants to contest for House of Reps in Abuja! Someone who has never voted in the FCT o. What happened to his Imo State? This Obidient people enh!!!”

The screenshots included Ike’s application number, registration centre, Voter Identification Number, profile picture, name, and date of application.

'Height of political rascality’

Speaking on Channels Television on Sunday, Ike described Olayinka’s action as “shocking, extreme, and the height of political rascality for a government officer to access a citizen’s information from the INEC cyber.”

“It tells you a lot; it shows how much impunity we have flying around, and people have access to things they shouldn’t be having access to, and that’s quite deplorable. I see that as a huge insult and slap on every political party and every Nigerian,” Ike said. 

He added that he was ready to take action against Olayinka: “Actions are ready, I’m ready to take him on. He has no right to exploit my privacy and insult Nigerians the way he did. If he has been doing it in the past, this should be the last time he does it.”

Ike, an indigene of Imo State, contested the NDC primaries for the AMAC/Bwari federal constituency in the FCT and lost. He explained his decision to run in Abuja: “People came to me and told me, ‘Sir, you need to do this now, we need you in Abuja.’ The surge was high, and I considered it, seeing the relevant issues they brought on board, and I said okay fine, let’s see how we can build Abuja.”

INEC traces leak to insider, DSS joins probe

INEC said on Sunday that its preliminary investigation shows the breach did not involve external hacking. In a statement by National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, the commission said: “Preliminary findings from the commission’s audit trail so far indicate that there was no external breach of the CVR database, no hacking incident, and no unauthorised external access to the Commission’s ICT infrastructure. Rather, the information in question was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise but released without authority.”

INEC said registration officers had controlled access to parts of the Continuous Voter Registration database for official duties, and that access is withdrawable at the end of the exercise. The audit trail pinpointed the specific user account used to retrieve Ike’s record. Relevant personnel have been questioned and all connected units are cooperating.

The commission said only one voter record was accessed and that the personal data of over 90 million registered voters remained secure. It added that the DSS had launched an independent investigation and that INEC would cooperate fully. Anyone found culpable, it said, would be referred for prosecution.

Atiku warns on 2027 credibility

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said the leak threatens the credibility of the 2027 general election. In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said: “INEC has now confirmed that voter information was accessed through credentials assigned to personnel involved in the ongoing CVR exercise and released without authority. That admission alone should concern every Nigerian.”

Atiku noted that the absence of external hacking does not reduce the gravity of the incident and raised concerns about internal controls and possible political interference. He linked the public release of Ike’s information to Olayinka’s role as spokesman to Wike, shortly after the minister predicted he would not secure up to 10 per cent of votes in Rivers State in 2027.

Atiku called for full disclosure of the chain of custody of the accessed information and urged transparency in the ongoing investigations to safeguard confidence in the electoral process.

INEC said it would publish its final findings and measures taken once investigations are concluded and urged the public and media to avoid speculation.