INEC data leak puts 2027 election credibility on trial — Atiku

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar warned on Tuesday that the unauthorised release of voter data from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database threatens the credibility of the 2027 general election.

He said the incident exposed the vulnerability of Nigeria’s electoral institutions to political manipulation even before campaigns begin.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku noted that while INEC had reassured Nigerians that no external hacking occurred, the Commission admitted that sensitive voter information was accessed using valid official credentials and released without authorisation. He said this admission raised more questions than it answered.

“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. That admission alone should concern every Nigerian,” he said.

Atiku argued that the absence of an external hack does not lessen the seriousness of the incident but deepens it, pointing to unresolved questions about internal controls, institutional safeguards, and the possibility of deliberate political interference.

“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.”

“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. It was an astonishing claim. Not because politicians are forbidden from making predictions, but because of the confidence, precision, and finality with which it was delivered,” he said.

He asked whether that confidence was mere political theatre or evidence of something far more troubling—that certain political actors believe they enjoy privileged access to institutions the constitution requires to remain neutral.

Atiku said the episode had become a direct test of whether Nigeria’s electoral institutions are genuinely insulated from partisan influence, and demanded the full chain of custody of the accessed information—who retrieved it, who requested it, who received it, and how it left INEC’s custody.

“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. Nigeria cannot afford a situation where confidence in electoral institutions is weakened before campaigns have even properly commenced,” he said.

While welcoming INEC’s disclosure that it had identified the specific user account involved and that relevant personnel had been questioned, Atiku said identifying a user account was only the beginning. He also welcomed the Department of State Services’ independent investigation but made clear that Nigerians would hold it to an exacting standard.

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