Alleged INEC Data Breach: ICA FCT urges Tinubu’s govt to tread with caution ahead of 2027

The Igbo Community Association in the Federal Capital Territory (ICA FCT) has strongly urged the President Bola Tinubu administration to tread with caution ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The association has simultaneously demanded an immediate investigation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over a highly controversial alleged backdoor database breach involving Lere Olayinka, a media aide to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.

President General and Secretary General of the body, Engr Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe and Emmanuel Chinwoke Onah, disclosed this in a statement released on Monday.

The statement followed a recent public controversy that trailed behind a recent post shared by Olayinka on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

The post displayed a screenshot revealing direct access to an internal INEC secure administrative database—a portal strictly restricted to authorized INEC ICT staff and data managers.

Reacting, the ICA FCT described the development as a clear and dangerous security breach that compromises the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral infrastructure.

The association warned the President Tinubu-led administration to manage current national political dynamics with deep caution, highlighting record-breaking insecurity and severe economic hardship across the country.

It further expressed grave concern that ignoring these critical socioeconomic indicators while allegedly infringing upon and manipulating citizens’ civic rights could push the nation toward an uncontrollable crisis.

Consequently, the association put forward several critical questions to the electoral umpire and the Presidency:

1. How did a political appointee and ministerial aide obtain backend administrative access to INEC’s sensitive data pages?

2. Did leadership within INEC officially grant this access, or is the commission unaware of this severe external data compromise?

3. Does this exposure imply that the manipulation and rigging of the 2027 general elections have already commenced behind the scenes?

The ICA FCT demanded immediate, transparent explanations from INEC and the Tinubu-led administration regarding who will be held accountable for this violation of national data privacy laws.

Conclusively, the association formally called upon the international community to closely monitor these unfolding political developments in Nigeria.

The group warned that ignoring early signs of institutional compromise and electoral manipulation risks creating widespread, unmanageable civil unrest.