Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Tuesday called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to give clear explanations over concerns surrounding access to its Continuous Voter Registration database.
The demand followed reports of unauthorised disclosure of voter-related information linked to a candidate in the Federal Capital Territory.
The call was made in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, as reactions continued over claims that sensitive details from INEC’s voter system had been exposed. The matter has already drawn public attention after questions were raised about how information from the commission’s database was accessed and shared.
INEC had earlier responded to the situation, saying it had begun an internal investigation into the incident. The commission also stated that there was no evidence of external hacking into its systems, while assuring Nigerians that its ICT infrastructure remained secure.
Despite this clarification, Atiku insisted that the explanation raised further concerns that needed deeper investigation. He argued that the admission that voter data was accessed through official credentials made the issue more serious, as it pointed to possible internal lapses rather than an external attack.
He questioned how information from a restricted electoral database could end up in the hands of political actors, stressing that Nigerians deserve full clarity on what happened. According to him, the absence of an external breach does not reduce the seriousness of the incident, but instead raises questions about internal control and data protection within the electoral body.
Atiku also said the situation calls for a transparent and independent probe to determine how the data was accessed and whether any rules were broken in the process. He maintained that the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system depends on how well institutions like INEC protect sensitive voter information.
The former vice president urged INEC to go beyond internal statements and provide detailed answers that would restore public confidence in the country’s voter registration process.