INEC has suspended electoral officer over alleged Emeka Ike voter data leak.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended an electoral officer allegedly linked to the unauthorised disclosure of the voter registration details of Nollywood actor and politician, Emeka Ike.
INEC disclosed on Thursday that investigations by security agencies and data protection regulators into the incident are still ongoing.
The National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, announced the suspension during a fireside chat organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) in Abuja.
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The controversy followed the circulation of Emeka Ike’s voter registration details online during a dispute related to a political party primary election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to INEC, preliminary investigations showed there was no external breach of its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure or compromise of the national voter register.
Instead, the commission said the voter information was allegedly accessed using valid login credentials assigned to officials participating in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise before it was disclosed without authorisation.
INEC explained that its audit trail enabled investigators to trace the access to a specific user account, leading to the identification and questioning of officials who had access to the system.
The commission reiterated its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the voter register while assuring Nigerians that investigations into the incident would continue.
