A former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called for a full-scale investigation into the alleged leak of information from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Continuous Voter Registration database, arguing that the electoral body’s latest explanation has raised more questions than answers.
Atiku said INEC’s admission that voter information was accessed using valid official credentials and subsequently released without authorisation has shifted the controversy from speculation about external hacking to concerns over internal compromise and possible political interference.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president said the commission must explain how information stored in a restricted electoral database ended up in the public domain.
“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?”
The demand follows INEC’s response to allegations surrounding the circulation of voter registration details allegedly obtained from its database.
The commission had maintained that its ICT infrastructure was not hacked, insisting that the information was accessed through legitimate user accounts linked to personnel involved in the voter registration exercise.
However, Atiku argued that the absence of an external cyberattack does not lessen the seriousness of the incident.
“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.
The former vice president drew attention to the role played by Lere Olayinka, spokesman to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who publicly released the information that triggered 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 controversy to recent comments made by Wike regarding the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, the issue has assumed greater significance because the FCT minister recently predicted with certainty that Atiku would not secure up to 10 per cent 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 the incident goes beyond the unauthorised disclosure of a voter record and touches on public confidence 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 called on INEC to disclose the complete chain of custody of the leaked information, including those who accessed, authorised, received and distributed 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 authorised credentials assigned to officials participating 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 authorisation and disclosed that the user account involved had been identified.
The commission also announced that relevant personnel had been questioned and that the Department of State Services (DSS) had commenced an independent investigation into the matter.
Welcoming the DSS probe, Atiku said Nigerians would expect a thorough and impartial 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 further urged INEC to publish the full outcome of its investigation, warning that public confidence in the electoral process could be eroded if the matter is not transparently resolved ahead of 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.
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