Atiku Wants INEC to Explain Voter Data Leak

A former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, is demanding a full investigation into the reported leak of information from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Continuous Voter Registration database. He believes INEC's latest statement has raised more questions than it answered.

Atiku stated that INEC’s admission that voter data was accessed with valid official credentials and released without permission has shifted the focus from concerns of external hacking to worries about internal compromise and potential political interference.

In a statement on Tuesday from his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president insisted that the commission needs to clarify how information in a restricted electoral database ended up in public hands.

“INEC’s statement has moved this issue beyond conjecture. The Commission has now confirmed that voter information was accessed through credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise and that such information was released without authority,” Atiku said.

“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's demand comes after INEC responded to claims about the spread of voter registration details that were allegedly obtained from its database.

The commission argued that its ICT infrastructure was not hacked and insisted that the information was accessed through legitimate user accounts linked to officials involved in the voter registration exercise.

But Atiku pointed out that the lack of an external cyberattack does not lessen the seriousness of the situation.

“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,” he said.

Atiku also highlighted the role of Lere Olayinka, the spokesman for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who publicly shared the information that sparked the controversy.

“What makes this entire episode impossible to ignore is that the information in question did not emerge from a whistleblower, an investigative journalist, or an anti-corruption agency. It was publicly released by Mr Lere Olayinka, spokesman to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike,” Atiku stated.

“INEC has now admitted that the information originated from its restricted voter registration database and was accessed using valid official credentials. Nigerians are therefore entitled to ask a simple question: how did information stored within a supposedly secure electoral database travel from INEC’s internal system into the possession of the spokesman of a serving minister?”

Atiku also linked the issue to recent comments made by Wike about the 2027 presidential election.

He noted that this matter has become more significant because the FCT minister recently claimed that Atiku would not get up to 10 percent of votes in Rivers State during the next presidential election.

“Only days before this controversy erupted, Minister Wike publicly declared with remarkable certainty that Atiku Abubakar would not secure up to ten percent of the votes in Rivers State in the 2027 presidential election,” he said.

“The question therefore arises: what was the basis of such extraordinary confidence? Was it merely political chest-thumping, or does it reveal a mindset that believes certain political actors possess privileged access to institutions that are constitutionally required to remain neutral?”

Atiku warned that this incident goes beyond the unauthorized release of a voter record and affects public trust in the neutrality of Nigeria’s electoral institutions.

“This is why the issue can no longer be reduced to the unauthorized disclosure of a single voter record. It has become a test of whether Nigeria’s electoral institutions are truly insulated from political influence or whether politically connected individuals enjoy access and advantages unavailable to ordinary citizens,” he said.

He urged INEC to reveal the full chain of custody of the leaked information, including who accessed, authorized, received, and shared the data.

“The Nigerian people deserve to know the complete chain of custody. Who accessed the information? Who requested it? Who received it? How did it leave INEC’s custody? And why did the trail lead directly to political actors associated with a serving minister?” he asked.

INEC recently acknowledged that information from its CVR database was accessed using authorized credentials given to officials involved in the voter registration exercise. While the commission insisted there was no hacking of its ICT infrastructure, it confirmed that the information was released without permission and stated that the user account involved had been identified.

The commission also said that relevant personnel had been questioned and that the Department of State Services (DSS) had started an independent investigation into the matter.

Welcoming the DSS probe, Atiku said Nigerians expect a thorough and fair investigation.

“The Nigerian people will expect that investigation to be thorough, impartial, and fearless. No individual, regardless of political influence or proximity to power, should be beyond scrutiny,” he said.

He also urged INEC to publish the full results of its investigation, warning that public trust in the electoral process could fade if the issue is not resolved openly before the 2027 general election.

“The credibility of the 2027 election will not be determined solely on election day. It is being shaped right now by the willingness of institutions to demonstrate transparency, accountability, and independence.

“Democracy flourishes in transparency, accountability, and public trust, not in secrecy and unanswered questions,” he added.