Gambling pages on Nigeria's election website raise security concerns

The official website of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has become the subject of intense scrutiny after the discovery of dozens of gambling and casino-related articles hosted directly on its domain. This finding has ignited concerns about the security of the electoral body's digital infrastructure, especially with the 2027 general elections on the horizon.

The breach was brought to light by X user Martin Uwakwe, who specializes in analyzing public-sector digital infrastructure. Uwakwe reported finding approximately 28 gambling and casino pages published under the INEC domain, not merely external links. He noted that these pages often used the WordPress author name "Ajuma Achor," who appeared to have previously worked with Interra Networks, a technology vendor involved with INEC's website.

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Even though these pages have now been deleted, they were already archived on the Wayback Machine. We need a thorough independent audit of INEC’s technical infrastructure.

While these pages have since been removed from INEC's live website, they remain accessible through the Wayback Machine. This discovery has prompted calls for a thorough, independent audit of INEC's technical infrastructure. The ease with which such content could be published raises critical questions about who has, or had, publishing access to INEC's content management system.

Uwakwe proposed two potential explanations for the incident: either INEC's website was compromised for an extended period, possibly through an old or vulnerable publishing account, or an individual with legitimate access misused their privileges, potentially for paid search engine optimization placements. The implications are significant, as Uwakwe emphasized, "If someone can quietly publish dozens of casino pages on INEC’s official website, then the bigger question is: what stops that same access from being used on election day to publish false information, fake results or a misleading announcement capable of causing chaos across the country?"

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If someone can quietly publish dozens of casino pages on INEC’s official website, then the bigger question is: what stops that same access from being used on election day to publish false information, fake results or a misleading announcement capable of causing chaos across the country?