June 02, (THEWILL) — The Independent National Electoral Commission has ruled out any external cyber intrusion into its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database, insisting that preliminary forensic reviews show no hacking incident or breach of its ICT infrastructure.
However, the Commission confirmed that the matter is now subject to a parallel investigation by the Department of State Services, which has commenced its own independent probe into allegations surrounding the unauthorised disclosure of voter information.
In a statement issued by the Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC said audit trail analysis conducted so far indicates that the voter data in question was accessed through valid user credentials assigned to officials participating in the ongoing CVR exercise.
The Commission, however, stressed that while the access credentials were legitimate and issued for official duties, the retrieval and subsequent release of the specific voter record were carried out without authorisation, constituting a breach of internal protocol rather than a system compromise.
According to INEC, its preliminary findings show clearly that there was no external breach of the CVR database, no hacking attempt, and no unauthorised intrusion into its wider ICT infrastructure, which supports the national voter register containing data of over 90 million registered voters.
The electoral body explained that during the CVR exercise, designated registration officers are granted controlled and role-based access to the voter registration system strictly for tasks such as new registrations, voter record updates, and transfers.
Such access, it noted, is automatically revoked at the end of the exercise period.
INEC further disclosed that its ongoing investigation is examining technical, administrative, and operational procedures to determine how the misuse occurred, identify responsible individuals, and assess any gaps in internal access-control systems.
The Commission assured Nigerians that the integrity of its voter database remains intact and that the incident is limited to a specific record retrieval event, with no evidence of compromise to the broader electoral infrastructure.
It also reaffirmed its commitment to accountability, stating that any official found culpable after the conclusion of investigations would face appropriate disciplinary measures and possible prosecution.
Meanwhile, the involvement of the DSS underscores growing security interest in the matter, as the agency independently reviews the circumstances surrounding the alleged unauthorised disclosure.
INEC said it is fully cooperating with security authorities and will continue to provide necessary technical and administrative support to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation.
The Commission urged the public and media organisations to refrain from speculation, assuring that the outcome of the investigations will be made public once concluded and appropriate actions taken.
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