Abuja, June 16, 2026 – Nollywood actor Emeka Ike has filed a fundamental rights suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against the Independent National Electoral Commission and Lere Olayinka, media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, over the alleged unlawful disclosure of his personal voter information.

The case, suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026, was instituted on Monday, June 15, 2026, through his lawyer, Leonard Adeh.

What happened
Trouble started in May when Olayinka posted screenshots on X showing details of Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to the FCT. The aide shared the data while questioning the actor’s eligibility to run for a House of Representatives seat in Abuja after recent party primaries.

The screenshots appeared to come from INEC’s restricted administrative portal, which is only accessible to authorized officials. The post went viral and triggered public criticism, with many accusing Olayinka of accessing a password-protected backend illegally.

INEC later said there was no major external hack of its Continuous Voter Registration database. The commission blamed the leak on “misuse of valid internal credentials by authorized personnel.” The Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team also questioned both Olayinka and an electoral officer over the incident.

What Emeka Ike is asking the court for
Through his counsel, the actor is asking the court to declare that:

1. Olayinka’s publication of his voter data on X without consent violated his right to privacy and data protection under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Sections 24 & 39 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
2. INEC owes all voters a duty of care to secure their data against unauthorized access.
3. INEC’s press release of June 2, 2026 was a “tacit admission of liability” for failing to protect his records.

Reliefs sought
Ike is praying the court for:

• An order compelling Olayinka to delete the post and publish a written apology on his X handle @OlayinkaLere, plus in The Punch, The Nation, and ThisDay for 2 weeks.
• A declaration that INEC and Olayinka are jointly liable for the breach.
• ₦10 billion in aggravated and general damages against both respondents for violating his right to privacy and data protection.

The matter is expected to come up for hearing at the Abuja division of the Federal High Court