Abuja Court Fixes Date for Emeka Ike’s N10bn Lawsuit Against Wike’s Aide

A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed July 2 for further hearing in a N10 billion fundamental rights suit filed by Nollywood actor and politician, Emeka Ike, against Lere Olayinka, an aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

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Justice Salim Ibrahim adjourned the matter until July 2, on Thursday, after counsel to the applicant, Leonard Adeh, requested more time to allow the respondents to file their responses.

Ike, who joined the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a co-defendant in the suit, is seeking redress over the alleged unlawful disclosure of his personal voter information.

The suit stems from earlier reports surrounding the alleged publication of Ike’s voter registration details on social media by Olayinka in May.

Ike, who contested the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship primary for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency House of Representatives seat ahead of the 2027 elections, lost the party ticket.

Following the primary, Olayinka allegedly posted screenshots showing details of Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory and questioned his eligibility to contest under the NDC.

The publication sparked criticism from some Nigerians, who alleged that the information was obtained from INEC’s restricted database.

INEC later denied claims that its Continuous Voter Registration database had been hacked, maintaining that the disclosure resulted from the misuse of valid internal credentials by authorised personnel.

The Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team also invited Olayinka and an electoral officer for questioning over the alleged leak.

In the suit, Ike is asking the court to declare that Olayinka’s publication of his voter information on X without consent constitutes a violation of his constitutional right to privacy and data protection.

He argued that 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 guarantee his right to privacy and protection of personal data.

The actor is also seeking a declaration that INEC owes voters a statutory duty of care to safeguard their personal information against unauthorised access.

Among other reliefs, Ike is asking the court to award N10 billion in general and aggravated damages against Olayinka and INEC, jointly and severally, for the alleged breach of his fundamental rights.

He further seeks an order compelling Olayinka to delete the social media post containing his voter information and tender an unreserved public apology for the alleged violation.