“We Know Who Did It”: INEC Traces Leaked Voter Data to Its Own Staff as Actor Emeka Ike Threatens Legal Action.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has broken its silence over the leaked personal data of actor turned politician Emeka Ike, confirming that an internal investigation is already underway and no hacking was involved.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Commission revealed that the leak did not come from an external cyberattack but from one of its own authorised registration officers. According to INEC, the person used their valid login credentials granted for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to access and then improperly release a specific voter’s record.

“Preliminary findings show there was no external breach, no hacking, and no unauthorised external access,” said Mohammed Haruna, INEC’s National Commissioner for Voter Education. “The information was accessed through valid user credentials but released without authority.”

The controversy erupted over the weekend when Lere Olayinka, a media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, shared images on X (formerly Twitter) appearing to show Emeka Ike’s voter details including his Voter Identification Number, application date, registration centre, and even his passport photograph. Olayinka used the information to argue that Ike, an Imo State native, had only recently transferred his voter registration to the FCT.

For Emeka Ike, that was the final straw. The veteran actor, who contested for a House of Representatives seat under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and lost, described the act as “the height of political rascality.” He has since vowed to take legal action against Olayinka, insisting that the exposure of his personal data is a dangerous violation of privacy and electoral laws.

INEC, for its part, says it has already identified the specific user account behind the leak through its audit trail. The relevant personnel have been questioned, and all units involved are cooperating.

“This incident relates only to the retrieval of a single voter record,” the Commission stressed, adding that the personal information of Nigeria’s over 90 million registered voters remains secure.

To further underscore the gravity of the matter, INEC noted that the Department of State Services (DSS) has also launched its own independent investigation. The Commission promised that anyone found culpable whether staff or external would face legal action.

“We urge the public and the media to avoid speculation,” Haruna added. “Our findings and any actions taken will be made public in due course.”

For now, the leak appears to be an inside job gone wrong but for Emeka Ike and many Nigerians watching closely, the bigger question remains: how safe is our personal data with INEC?