Veteran journalist and former presidential aide Reuben Abati has called for an investigation into how voter registration details allegedly from INEC’s restricted database ended up in public.
Abati spoke on the “What’s Trending” segment of Arise Television’s Morning Show on Monday. He was reacting to the uproar that followed Nollywood actor Emeka Ike’s decision to run for a House of Representatives seat in the FCT.
Shortly after Ike declared his intention, his voter registration details appeared online. The documents were shared by Lere Olayinka, media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. The records are said to have come from INEC’s restricted administrative portal.
Emeka Ike was a registered voter in Imo State.
He only transferred his INEC Registration to the FCT on May 15, 2026 (15 days ago).And he wants to contest for House of Reps in Abuja!
Someone who has never voted in the FCT o.
What happened to his Imo State?This Obidient people… pic.twitter.com/QXNwneEgeD
— Lere Olayinka – Aresa 1 (@OlayinkaLere) May 30, 2026
Abati said public concerns about the leak are valid. He noted that the portal in question is not open to the general public and is password-protected for INEC officials only.
“If this is a restricted confidential backend, then it means the secret database of INEC is open to unauthorized persons,” Abati said.
He pointed out that Olayinka is not an INEC official. “We do not think that being a PA to the FCT minister gives him the authority to move in and out of INEC’s secret database,” he added.
Abati warned that unauthorized access to INEC’s internal system would be a serious breach. He said it could violate the Nigeria Data Protection Act and the Cybercrime Act.
“Those calling for an investigation are very right, and we ought to know the outcome,” he said. “If that secret database of INEC is now open, it should be open to all of us. We should all rig elections if they want to make it public.”
He insisted that Olayinka should explain how he got the information. “It will be a breach of the privacy of the person involved. People cannot gain privileged access to what is supposed to be the backend of INEC. It means INEC’s backend is open to everybody.”
Abati stressed that clarity is needed fast to stop the public from drawing dangerous conclusions. “The earlier the better, so that the public doesn’t run away with a narrative that they can easily correct. It will then further raise questions about INEC.”
Watch the video below;
The DSS should immediately investigate Lere Olayinka to determine how he gained access to the backend server of the INEC portal. Lere Olayinka must also publicly explain the means by which he accessed the system. Failure to provide a clear and satisfactory explanation should… pic.twitter.com/IflWpZgBCM
— BLESSED
At the time of this report, neither Olayinka nor INEC had issued a public response to the calls for investigation.