Court throws out Emeka Ike's N10bn privacy suit against Wike aide and INEC

The Federal High Court in Abuja has thrown out a N10 billion suit filed by Nollywood actor Emeka Ike against Lere Olayinka, a Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Salim Ibrahim gave judgment on Wednesday. He upheld the objections raised by Olayinka and INEC, holding that the suit was incompetent and improperly put together. He also dismissed the main claims, saying Ike failed to prove them.

Ike had gone to court over a post on X in May that he said exposed his voter registration details. According to him, the post showed that his registration had been moved from Imo State to Abuja.

The actor had sought the House of Representatives seat for AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency in Abuja in the 2027 elections on the platform of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC). He lost the party's primary.

What each side told the court

In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026 and filed by his lawyer L. T. Adeh, Ike argued that publishing his voter information without his permission breached his right to privacy and the protection of his personal data. He cited Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.

He asked the court to order Olayinka to pull down the post and apologise in writing. He also wanted a declaration that an INEC statement on June 2 amounted to an admission of liability, and N10 billion in damages against both respondents.

INEC, in a counter-affidavit deposed to by Anthonia Makwe, an assistant director and data protection officer, argued that the information was not classified or confidential. The commission said the law allows it to publish certain voter details without the consent of the voter, and denied that anything was hacked or leaked from its systems.

Olayinka, in his own affidavit, said the post contained only Ike's name and passport photograph, which he argued were already public because Ike had presented himself as a candidate and is a known actor. He denied getting the information unlawfully and said he owes Ike no duty of care. He also alleged that Ike led a group to disrupt activities at an INEC office after declaring his intention to run, and said the post was meant to remind him of the electoral rules.

Olayinka described the damages claim as bad faith, saying he should not pay for information that was already publicly available. The court agreed with the respondents and dismissed the case.

The judgment is a reminder that details voters submit during registration can be published by INEC under the electoral law, and that public figures may find it harder to claim privacy over such records.