Nollywood actor and politician 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 unauthorised release of his voter registration information.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeks ₦10 billion in damages for what Ike describes as a violation of his privacy and personal data rights.
The case stems from a social media post made in May by Olayinka, who shared screenshots showing details of Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to Abuja while questioning his eligibility to contest for a House of Representatives seat in the Federal Capital Territory.
The information allegedly came from a restricted INEC administrative portal.
According to court documents, Ike is asking the court to declare that the publication of his personal information without his consent amounted to a “gross violation” of his constitutional right to privacy and protections guaranteed under Nigeria’s Data Protection Act.
He is also seeking an order directing Olayinka to remove the post, publish an apology on his X account and in national newspapers, and pay damages.
The controversy has raised wider concerns about the security of voter information held by INEC.
Earlier this month, the electoral commission said preliminary investigations found no external hacking of its database.
Instead, it said the information was accessed using “valid user credentials assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing CVR exercise but released without authority.”
Before filing the lawsuit, Ike publicly condemned the disclosure of his records.
“I felt insecure,” he said.
“It was shocking."
It was so disturbing that I felt unsafe.”
He also described the incident as “an abuse of power.”
INEC and security agencies are continuing investigations into how the information was accessed and released.
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