The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended an electoral officer allegedly linked to the unauthorised disclosure of voter registration information following a recent data privacy controversy.

The commission disclosed the development on Thursday during a fireside chat organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) in Abuja.

Speaking at the event, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the commission acted swiftly after discovering the incident.

The controversy emerged after voter registration details belonging to actor and politician Emeka Ike surfaced online during a dispute connected to a political party primary election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Haruna explained that preliminary investigations showed there was no breach of INEC’s central ICT infrastructure and that the national voter register remained secure.

According to him, the information was allegedly accessed through legitimate login credentials assigned to officials participating in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, rather than through any hacking of the commission’s database.

“As soon as this thing happened, of course we were worried and we took immediate steps. As I am talking to you now, the officer involved is under suspension. He is no longer functioning in that office,” Haruna said.

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The national commissioner revealed that the affected official had been removed from duty pending the conclusion of investigations by relevant authorities.

Haruna stated that the commission had completed its internal investigation and forwarded the matter to security agencies for further action.

“The police have done their own investigation. The DSS has also conducted investigations. We have completed our own internal investigation and suspended the officer. We are waiting for the final reports before taking the next step,” he added.

He also disclosed that Nigeria’s data protection authorities had been notified as part of efforts to ensure full compliance with applicable privacy regulations.

INEC maintained that the incident involved only a single voter record and did not compromise the integrity of the national register, which contains the personal information of more than 90 million registered voters.

The commission reassured Nigerians that its voter database remains secure and that there was no evidence of widespread unauthorised access to sensitive electoral information.

Haruna further emphasized that INEC would continue strengthening internal safeguards to protect voter information while enhancing collaboration with security agencies, civil society organisations, and data protection regulators.

According to him, the commission remains committed to preserving the confidentiality of citizens’ personal data and ensuring public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system.

The suspension of the officer, he noted, reflects INEC’s determination to enforce accountability among its personnel while preventing future breaches involving voter information.

The commission reiterated that protecting the integrity of voter data remains a top priority as preparations continue for future electoral activities across the country.