Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called for a full-scale investigation into the purported leak of information from the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He argued that the electoral body's latest explanation has raised more questions than answers.
This development comes as the ADC petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC), seeking an investigation into the conduct of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, and Justice Peter Lifu over the handling of a suit involving the party and its factional Chairman, Nafiu Bala 'Gombe'.
Atiku stated that INEC's admission that voter information was accessed using valid official credentials and subsequently released without authorization shifted the controversy from speculation about external hacking to concerns over internal compromise and possible political interference. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president emphasized that the commission must explain how information stored in a restricted electoral database ended up in the public domain.
The demand followed INEC's response to allegations surrounding the circulation of voter registration details allegedly obtained from its database. The commission had maintained that its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure was not hacked, insisting that the information was accessed through legitimate user accounts linked to personnel involved in the voter registration exercise. However, Atiku argued that the absence of an external cyberattack does not lessen the seriousness of the incident.
He further urged INEC to publish the full outcome of its investigation, warning that public confidence in the electoral process could erode if the matter is not transparently resolved before the 2027 general election.
In a petition dated June 1, 2026, and addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Nkemakolam Ukandu alleged abuse of judicial power, disobedience to court orders, and manifest bias in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025 between Nafiu Bala Gombe and the ADC. Ukandu claimed that the Supreme Court, in appeal No. SC/CV/180/2026 involving Senator David Mark and Gombe, had ordered that the matter be remitted to Justice Emeka Nwite, who was initially handling the case. According to the petition, Justice Tsoho subsequently reassigned the matter to Justice Lifu, contrary to the apex court's directive. The petitioner further alleged that Nwite, during proceedings on May 8, 2026, directed the plaintiff to provide a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment and adjourned the matter indefinitely pending compliance.
