Emeka Ike Files N10bn Lawsuit Against INEC, Wike’s Aide Over Voter Data Leak

Emeka Ike Files N10bn Lawsuit Against INEC, Wike’s Aide Over Voter Data Leak

Nollywood actor and politician Emeka Ike has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged unlawful disclosure of his personal voter information.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026 and filed on June 15, seeks N10 billion in aggravated and general damages for what the actor described as a gross violation of his constitutional right to privacy and personal data protection.

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 Abuja. The information was posted while questioning the actor’s eligibility to contest the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency House of Representatives seat under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The screenshots, which appeared to have been obtained from a restricted section of INEC’s voter registration database, reportedly contained sensitive information, including Ike’s voter identification number, registration details, passport photograph, polling unit information, and voter transfer records.

The publication sparked widespread criticism from Nigerians, with many raising concerns about the security of the electoral commission’s database and questioning how confidential voter information became publicly accessible.

Through his counsel, Leonard Adeh, Ike argued that the publication of his voter information without his consent amounted to a breach of rights 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.

The actor is asking the court to declare that the disclosure of his personal voter information constitutes a violation of his fundamental right to privacy and data protection. He also contends that INEC failed in its statutory responsibility to safeguard sensitive voter information entrusted to its care.

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In the suit, Ike further argued that INEC’s press statement issued on June 2, following public outrage over the incident, amounted to a tacit admission that unauthorized access to his voter records had occurred.

Among the reliefs sought, the actor wants the court to declare both Olayinka and INEC jointly liable for the alleged breach of his privacy rights and order the immediate removal of the social media post containing his personal information.

He is also seeking an order directing Olayinka to tender an unreserved written apology and publish it on his X account as well as in three national newspapers — The Punch, The Nation, and ThisDay — for two consecutive weeks to ensure the apology receives publicity comparable to that of the original publication.

The controversy first gained national attention after Olayinka used the information to challenge Ike’s political aspirations in Abuja. Critics argued that the disclosure raised serious questions about data security, electoral transparency, and the protection of citizens’ personal information held by public institutions.

Reacting to the incident earlier, Ike described the publication as “the height of political rascality,” insisting that no government official had the right to access and publicly expose a citizen’s confidential records.

Following public criticism, INEC launched an internal investigation into the matter. The commission stated that preliminary findings showed there was no external hacking or cyberattack on its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database.

Instead, the electoral body disclosed that the information was accessed using valid credentials assigned to authorized personnel. According to INEC, its audit trail identified the specific user account through which the data was retrieved, prompting further internal investigations.

The commission also maintained that the incident involved a specific voter record and did not amount to a compromise of the personal data of Nigeria’s millions of registered voters.

The matter has since attracted the attention of law enforcement agencies. Reports indicate that operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) interrogated Olayinka, while an INEC official was reportedly arrested as part of ongoing investigations into the alleged unauthorized access to voter records.

Legal analysts say the case could become one of Nigeria’s most significant judicial tests of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, particularly regarding the responsibilities of government institutions in safeguarding personal information and the consequences of unauthorized disclosure.

The outcome of the lawsuit is also expected to shape future interpretations of privacy rights, data protection obligations, and accountability standards for public officials handling sensitive citizen data.

As proceedings commence at the Federal High Court, the case is likely to attract significant public attention due to its implications for data privacy, electoral database security, and the protection of citizens’ personal information in Nigeria’s digital age.

Emeka Ike Files N10bn Lawsuit Against INEC, Wike’s Aide Over Voter Data Leak