Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Nollywood actor and politician Emeka Ike has filed a lawsuit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the alleged unauthorised publication of his personal voter registration data. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026, was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, June 15, 2026, with the actor demanding N10 billion in damages for what he describes as a gross violation of his fundamental right to privacy.
The legal action stems from an incident in May 2026 when Olayinka shared screenshots on his X (formerly Twitter) handle showing details of Ike's voter registration transfer from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory. The media aide posted the information while questioning the actor's eligibility to contest a House of Representatives seat in Abuja following his recent primary election activities. The post sparked widespread outrage, with many Nigerians accusing Olayinka of gaining unauthorised access to a password‑protected backend system reserved exclusively for INEC officials.
In response to the public outcry, INEC dismissed claims of a major breach or external hacking of its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database. The electoral umpire attributed the unauthorised disclosure of Ike's voter information to the misuse of valid internal credentials by authorised personnel, rather than a systemic failure of its security architecture. Investigators from the Force Intelligence Department-Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) subsequently questioned both Olayinka and an electoral officer over the alleged data leak.
In the suit, filed through his counsel, Leonard Adeh of Nguavese Chambers, Ike is seeking a court declaration that Olayinka's publication of his personal data on social media without his approval "amounts to gross breach and violation of the applicant's fundamental right to privacy and the protection of personal data." The actor argues that his rights are guaranteed under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Sections 24 and 39 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. He further contends that INEC owes him and other voters a "statutory duty of care" to protect their private data against unauthorised access.
Ike is also asking the court to declare that INEC's press release dated June 2, 2026, in reaction to the viral publication, amounts to a tacit admission of guilt and liability for failing to ensure strict protection of his personal voter records. The actor is praying the court to award him N10 billion as aggravated and general damages against both respondents for the alleged violation of his fundamental right to privacy.
Speaking earlier on the matter, Ike described the incident as deeply disturbing. "I felt insecure. For the first time, I'm feeling like, 'Is anybody saving this country anymore?'" he said in an interview. "It was shocking. It was so disturbing that I felt unsafe. This is the extreme to radicalism. Political radicalism is basically telling Nigerians that 'we are in charge'." He confirmed that his legal team had already written to Olayinka, INEC, his party, the Department of State Services, and the Nigeria Police Force to ensure the matter is properly documented.
The case has raised broader concerns about the security of personal data held by public institutions in Nigeria and the potential misuse of sensitive voter information for political purposes. As the legal proceedings unfold, the Federal High Court is expected to hear arguments on the substantive issues raised in the suit, including the extent of INEC's liability for data breaches involving its personnel and the accountability of public officials who access and publish restricted information.
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