Emeka Ike Slams INEC, Wike’s Aide With N10bn Lawsuit Over Alleged Voter Data Leak

By Emmanuel Kwada

Nollywood actor and politician, Emeka Ike, has instituted a N10 billion 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 unlawful disclosure of his personal voter information.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026 and filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 15, seeks substantial damages for what Ike described as a grave violation of his constitutional right to privacy and protection of personal data.

The legal action follows a controversy that erupted in May after Olayinka published screenshots on his X (formerly Twitter) account showing details of Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory.

The information, reportedly sourced from a restricted administrative portal operated by INEC, surfaced amid public debate over Ike’s eligibility to contest for a House of Representatives seat in Abuja following his participation in recent political primary activities.

The publication sparked widespread criticism, with many Nigerians questioning how sensitive voter information stored within a secured electoral database became publicly accessible. Critics alleged that the data may have been obtained through unauthorized access to an internal platform reserved exclusively for electoral officials.

In response to the controversy, INEC denied reports that its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database had been hacked or compromised by external actors. However, the commission acknowledged that the disclosure resulted from the misuse of valid internal credentials by authorized personnel.

The incident also reportedly attracted the attention of operatives from the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), who questioned Olayinka and an electoral officer over the alleged leak.

Through his counsel, Leonard Adeh, Ike argued that the publication of his voter records without consent constituted a direct 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.

He is asking the court to declare Olayinka’s publication of his personal data on social media unlawful, unconstitutional, and a violation of his fundamental rights.

The actor further contended that INEC owed him and millions of registered voters a statutory duty to safeguard personal information from unauthorized access, misuse, and public exposure.

According to court documents, Ike is also seeking a declaration that INEC’s press statement issued on June 2, 2026, amounted to a tacit admission of liability for failing to adequately secure his voter records.

He wants the court to hold both INEC and Olayinka jointly liable for the alleged violation of his privacy rights and personal data protection.

Among the reliefs sought are an order directing Olayinka to delete the social media post containing screenshots of the voter information and issue an unreserved public apology. The actor is also requesting that the apology be published on Olayinka’s X account and in three national newspapers for two consecutive weeks.

In addition, Ike is demanding N10 billion in aggravated and general damages against both defendants for what he described as the unlawful exposure of his personal information.

Legal observers say the case could become a landmark test of Nigeria’s evolving data protection framework and may clarify the responsibilities of public institutions in safeguarding citizens’ personal information within increasingly digital governance systems.