The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has called for a comprehensive investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of data from the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), warning that the incident could erode public trust ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The call was made in a statement issued on Tuesday through his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, following reports alleging that sensitive voter information had been accessed and circulated without authorisation.

The controversy followed claims that personal details linked to a political party candidate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were leaked. In response, INEC confirmed it had commenced an internal investigation into the matter.

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, stated that the Commission’s ICT systems were not breached. However, he noted that the data access was carried out using valid credentials belonging to officials involved in voter registration processes.

Reacting to the explanation, Atiku expressed concern over possible internal lapses within the electoral body, arguing that while external hacking had been ruled out, the situation pointed to weak internal controls and potential compromise.

“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 and their associates?” he asked.

He urged INEC to make public the full findings of its investigation, stressing that transparency is essential to maintaining confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.

Atiku warned that the issue should not be dismissed as speculation, adding that failure to address it decisively could undermine trust in democratic institutions and raise further concerns about possible interference in sensitive electoral systems.