INEC Suspends Officer Over Emeka Ike Voter Data Leak

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended an electoral officer allegedly involved in a recent voter data leak connected to actor Emeka Ike. INEC Chairman Moham Haruna disclosed this during a fireside chat in Abuja, emphasizing the seriousness of the incident.

The leak raised concerns about the security of voter registration details, prompting INEC to launch a probe into unauthorized disclosures of information. Preliminary findings indicated that there was no external breach of INEC's ICT infrastructure; rather, the data was accessed using valid credentials by an officer involved in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

The commission has referred the matter to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation. Haruna stated that the suspended officer admitted to the incident due to personal grievances with political actors.

INEC is committed to strengthening safeguards around voter information and enhancing public understanding of data management.