revelation that ahead of the 2015 general elections , a Nigerian
billionaire and supporter of former President Goodluck Jonathan paid £
2 m to Cambridge Analytica , to hack into the medical records of
President Muhammadu Buhari , then the candidate of the All
Progressives Congress .
The government is also probing the report which suggested that the
consulting firm that combines data mining, brokerage and analysis with
strategic communications for electoral process manipulated Nigeria ' s
2007 elections by organising campaigns to weaken the chances of
opposition parties .
A presidency official , who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed
this to one of our correspondents in Abuja on Sunday .
"The government of Nigeria is scrutinising the reports of the data
mining firm, Cambridge Analytica , which swiped the data of more than
50 million Facebook users to sway elections in many countries ,
including Nigeria , where it waged a campaign to perpetuate discord
and hack into personal records of the then leading opposition
candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, " the source said .
He said the government had set up what he called an in - house
committee to investigate whether the firm 's work for the then ruling
party , the Peoples Democratic Party , in the 2007 and 2015
electioneering broke the laws of the country or infringed on the
rights of other parties and their candidates.
"Depending on the outcome , it can lead to the appointment of a
special investigator and possibly, criminal prosecutions by the
Attorney -General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami ( SAN) , "
the Presidency official added.
When contacted on the matter, the Senior Special Assistant to the
President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said he had not been
briefed on the issue .
Shehu, however , said it was the rights of Nigerians for the PDP,
Facebook and Cambridge Analytical to explain their roles in the
matter.
The presidential spokesman said he was of the view that a proper
investigation would reveal if there were correlations between the
violence that characterised past elections in the country and the
revelation .
He said , "Nigerians deserve answers from the PDP , Facebook and
Cambridge Analytica on how and why they improperly obtained and used
data to interfere in Nigerian elections .
" An investigation should help to determine if there is a linkage
between the various killings and maiming that have characterised our
elections since 2007 and the misinformation activities of the
Cambridge Analytica .
"Such investigation will also help President Buhari to achieve his
wish to leave a legacy of improved elections. "
A former employee of Cambridge Analytica , Christopher Wylie, had told
British lawmakers how an Israeli spy firm , ' Black Cube ,' was
"engaged to hack into Buhari accounts to get access to his medical
records and private emails . "
Cambridge Analytica had earlier been reported to have been hired by an
unnamed Nigerian billionaire to support the re -election of former
President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election in which
Buhari was his main contender .
According to reports , SCL Elections , a public relations firm that
later became Cambridge Analytica , manipulated Nigeria 's 2007
elections by organising campaigns to weaken the chances of opposition
parties .
As part of its engagement , the company was said to have organised "
anti- election rallies" to demoralise supporters of opposition parties
from voting in the elections , which saw the emergence of Umar Yar'
Adua as the Nigeria 's President.
The Cambridge Analytica team reportedly came up with a video that
portrayed Buhari as a leader who would enforce Sharia Law in Nigeria
with the intention to sway the minds of millions of Nigerians and
persuade them to vote for the PDP candidate.
Currently, the Cambridge Analytica and Facebook are the focus of an
inquiry into data and politics by the British Information
Commissioner' s Office , the United States Special Counsel, Robert
Mueller. The UK Electoral Commission is also investigating the role
Cambridge Analytica played in the EU referendum.
Extend probe to Buhari 's 2015 campaign funds – PDP
The PDP said the All Progressives Congress and the Federal Government
were chasing shadows in their proposed investigation.
It added that they were desperate to implicate the opposition in the
alleged hacking into the records of Buhari.
The party said while it accepted an open investigation into the
Cambridge Analytica saga , it wanted such inquest to be extended to
cover the sources of the funds spent on the President' s campaign in
2015.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary , Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in a
statement in Abuja on Sunday said the APC was merely seeking to divert
public attention from its alleged failures and scandals .
He said it was already public knowledge that the PDP and any of its
officials or members were never linked or indicted in any way in the
saga.
He said , "It is also public knowledge that the document being relied
upon by the APC stated that , 'there is no suggestion that Jonathan
knew of the covert operation . '
"We are therefore aware that this new agenda is to divert public
attention from the various scandalous allegations hanging on the neck
of the Buhari presidency , including the use of looted funds to
finance his 2015 Presidential election , the Martin Luther King award
saga, the damaging Bill Gates verdict on Buhari 's economic policies ,
as well as the numerous financial scandals in the NNPC under his watch
.
"This inquest should therefore be completely open and independent of
the government control , so that Nigerians will know the truth, not
only on the Cambridge Analytica saga , but also on the source of the
funds for the President' s 2015 campaign and other sleazes under his
watch . "
Presidency dissipating energy – CDHR
On its part, a civil society organisation, Committee for the Defence
of Human Rights, said that the presidency was not using its energy in
the right direction, noting that the Cambridge Analytica investigation
was not as pressing as other concerns in the country .
The CDHR President , Malachy Ugwummadu, said , " It is not worth
dissipating energy on. The presidency must not be found to be bothered
with issues such as the Cambridge Analytica allegation, when there are
more pressing issues facing the country .
"One of such is the Federal Government 's investigation into the alarm
raised by a former Chief of Army Staff , Lt. Gen . T.Y . Danjuma.
Another is the release of more names of alleged looters of our public
treasury . These are developments that Nigerians want to see from the
President Muhammadu Buhari 's administration and not an investigation
into a firm 's alleged act in 2015.
"Under the law and as provided for in the constitution, although the
executive arm has immunity and cannot be sued in the discharge of its
duties, it can sue anyone if it feels its rights to privacy and other
rights have been breached . So , the Presidency can sue the firm, but
it must make sure its house is tidy before embarking on a legal
action."
It 's a step in the right direction – Sagay
In his reaction, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against
Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay ( SAN) , said the probe was a step in the
right direction.
Sagay , however , stated that he was not sure if Nigeria ' s laws made
provision for such violation of privacy.
He said , "Probably , we can call it a very serious violation of
privacy. Morally , it is very wrong but I cannot tell you the legal
implications off the cuff . But I would be very surprised if our laws
don' t have a provision that covers such a violation. "
Reacting to a question on the opening of the investigation nearly
three years after the alleged act took place ; Sagay said people
should understand that the revelations only came to light recently .
The PACAC chairman added , "The government only just found out. These
people were doing this all over the world and circulating
misinformation and breaching people 's privacy for money. "
Sagay said Nigeria 's laws would need to be amended to suit current
realities and challenges if there is no provision for prosecution of
those who meddle in election affairs .
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