Atiku Calls For Independent Investigation Into Emeka Ike Voter Data Leak

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded an independent and transparent investigation into the unauthorised disclosure of the voter registration details of Nollywood actor Emeka Ike.

The controversy began after Lere Olayinka, an aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, shared screenshots on X showing details of Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to Abuja.

Olayinka published the information, which appeared to have been obtained from a restricted administrative portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission, while questioning the actor’s qualification to contest for a House of Representatives seat in Abuja following his participation in recent primary elections.

The post sparked widespread criticism, with many Nigerians alleging that Olayinka may have gained access to a password-protected system intended solely for INEC officials.

Responding to the controversy on Tuesday, INEC denied reports of a major security breach or external hacking of its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database.

The commission explained that the unauthorised disclosure resulted from the misuse of legitimate internal credentials by personnel involved in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said INEC’s admission that sensitive voter information was accessed and released without authorisation raises serious concerns that must be fully addressed.

According to him, the electoral body owes Nigerians clear answers on how confidential voter data ended up in the possession of political actors.

He also insisted that INEC must go beyond issuing public statements and make the findings of its investigation available to Nigerians in the interest of transparency and accountability.

“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,” he said.

“That admission alone should concern every Nigerian.

“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?

“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 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 who has repeatedly made unusually confident pronouncements about the outcome of a future election?”

Atiku maintained that only a thorough, independent investigation would help restore public confidence in the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system and clarify the circumstances surrounding the release of the actor’s voter registration information.