The controversy over Nigeria’s voter database has turned into a crisis after Atiku Abubakar pointed out internal breaches at INEC following a data leak.
Atiku raised questions after INEC admitted that voter data was accessed using official credentials and leaked without permission.
This has led to worries about internal compromise and possible political interference.
“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?” Atiku asked, stressing that the incident calls into question institutional safeguards and neutrality.
The situation escalated when Lere Olayinka, spokesman for FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, made the leaked voter details public.
Atiku connected this action to Wike’s recent claim that he would get less than 10% of votes in Rivers State in 2027, suggesting that Wike’s confidence might come from having special access to electoral data.
INEC said its ICT systems were not hacked, but confirmed the leak came from accounts tied to staff involved in voter registration.
The commission also said the Department of State Services (DSS) has started an independent investigation and questioned the staff involved.
Atiku welcomed the DSS investigation but said the problem is bigger than just one breach. “This is now 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 fully explain the chain of custody for the leaked data by naming who accessed it, who approved its release, who received it, and how it left the commission’s system.
He warned that without this transparency, people might lose trust in the 2027 elections.
“The legitimacy of 2027 depends on INEC’s honesty and independence today,” Atiku said.
