Emeka Ike Sues INEC, Wike’s Aide Lere Olayinka Over Alleged Unauthorised Disclosure of Voter Registration Data, Demands N10bn Damages
Nollywood actor Emeka Ike has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, before a Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged unauthorised disclosure of his voter registration information.
Court documents obtained by PulseNets showed that the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026, was filed on June 15, 2026, at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The legal action stems from the circulation of details relating to Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory, which Olayinka reportedly shared on his verified X account in May.
According to court documents obtained by PulseNets, the actor, through his counsel, Leonard Adeh, argued that the publication of the information without his consent amounted to a violation of his constitutional right to privacy and the protection of personal data.
Ike alleged that the information was extracted from a restricted section of INEC’s voter registration database and subsequently made public without his authorisation.
PulseNets learnt that the controversy began after Olayinka shared screenshots showing Ike’s voter registration transfer while questioning his eligibility to participate in political activities associated with a House of Representatives seat in Abuja.
INEC had earlier reacted to the incident, maintaining that its Continuous Voter Registration database was not hacked. The commission, however, attributed the disclosure to the misuse of valid internal credentials by authorised personnel.
In the suit, the actor is asking the court to declare that the publication of his voter registration details constituted a breach of his rights under 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.
“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,” part of the court filing read.
The actor further argued that INEC has a statutory obligation to protect the personal information of registered voters and prevent unauthorised access to such sensitive records.
Among the reliefs sought, Ike is requesting an order compelling Olayinka to delete the publication from his X account and issue a written apology.
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He is also seeking N10 billion in aggravated and general damages against both INEC and Olayinka over the alleged breach of privacy and unlawful disclosure of personal data.
In addition, the actor urged the court to hold both respondents jointly liable for the alleged violation of his rights and order the publication of an apology in national newspapers.
