Emeka Ike sues INEC and Wike’s aide, seeks N10bn over voter data leak

Nollywood actor Emeka Ike has filed a lawsuit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Lere Olayinka, a media aide to Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, over the alleged unauthorized release of his voter registration details.

The case, identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026, was lodged in the Federal High Court in Abuja on 15 June 2026.

According to court documents submitted by Ike’s lawyer, Leonard Adeh, the dispute arose after Olayinka posted screenshots on his verified X account in May that showed Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory. The actor claims the information was taken from a restricted part of INEC’s voter registration system and published without his consent.

INEC responded to the incident by stating that its Continuous Voter Registration database had not been hacked, but that the disclosure resulted from the misuse of valid internal credentials by authorised personnel.

Ike argues that the publication violated his constitutional right to privacy and the protection of personal data. He seeks a declaration that the release of his voter information breached Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and relevant provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.

The court filing reads: “N10,000,000,000.00 (Ten Billion Naira) as aggravated and general damages, jointly and severally against the 1st and 2nd Respondents, in favour of the Applicant, for the gross breach and violation of his fundamental right to privacy and the protection of personal data.”

Ike also contends that INEC has a statutory duty to safeguard the personal information of registered voters and prevent unauthorized access to such records.

Among the reliefs requested, Ike seeks an order directing Olayinka to remove the publication from his X account and to issue a written apology. He also requests that both respondents be held jointly liable for the alleged violation of his rights and that an apology be published in national newspapers.