INEC Suspends Staff Linked To Emeka Ike’s Voter Data Leak

By Akinwale Kasali

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has suspended one of its Staff who was allegedly involved in the voter data leak concerning Nollywood actor and politician, Emeka Ike.

The electoral body revealed that investigation carried out by Security Agencies and Data Protection Regulators is still ongoing.

Mohammed Haruna, the Commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, made this disclosure during a chat organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa, PAACA, in Abuja.

The disclosure of Ike’s voters registration details had generated controversy when it surfaced  online

during a dispute linked to a political party primary election in the Federal Capital Territory.

The Commission, however, says preliminary findings showed there was no external breach of its ICT infrastructure or compromise of its voter register.

Rather, according to the Commission, the data was allegedly accessed using valid credentials assigned to officials involved in the ongoing CVR exercise and subsequently disclosed without authorisation.

It disclosed that  its audit trail enabled investigators to identify the specific user account used to access the voter record, leading to the questioning of personnel with access to the system.

Ike, has, however, instituted a suit to the tune of N10 billion against Lere Olayinka, an aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, who made his details public in the social media.