The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed Nollywood actor Emeka Ike’s N10bn fundamental rights lawsuit against Lere Olayinka, an aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to The PUNCH, Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered the judgment on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, after upholding preliminary objections raised by the respondents.
The judge ruled that the suit was incompetent and improperly constituted. He also dismissed the substantive case for lack of proof.
Emeka Ike loses N10bn privacy suit
The actor had accused Olayinka of violating his fundamental right to privacy by publishing his voter registration details on X in May.
Ike alleged that the publication exposed personal information concerning the transfer of his voter registration from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory.
The controversy followed his unsuccessful attempt to secure the Nigerian Democratic Congress ticket for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 elections.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026, Ike demanded N10bn in aggravated and general damages from Olayinka and INEC.
He also requested an order directing Olayinka to delete the publication and issue a written apology.
The actor argued that the disclosure violated his constitutional right to privacy and provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
INEC denies leaking Emeka Ike’s voter information
Responding to the allegations, INEC maintained that the information in question was neither classified nor confidential.
The electoral commission explained that its responsibilities included maintaining and publishing voters’ information in accordance with electoral laws.
It also denied that the information allegedly published by Olayinka originated from its database.
INEC maintained that it had not breached its statutory duty to protect voters’ personal information.
Olayinka rejects N10bn damages claim
In his counter-affidavit, Olayinka denied accessing Ike’s information unlawfully.
He argued that the material he published contained only the actor’s name and passport photograph, which were already publicly available.
The FCT minister’s aide also cited INEC’s earlier statement that “there was no external breach of its CVR database, no hacking incident and no unauthorised external access to the commission’s ICT infrastructure.”
Olayinka maintained that he owed the actor no duty of confidentiality regarding information already available to the public.
Rejecting the N10bn damages claim, he described the demand as “an indication that the applicant is a gold digger who wants to reap where he did not sow”.
He subsequently urged the court to dismiss the lawsuit.
Court dismisses suit for lack of proof
Justice Ibrahim upheld the respondents’ preliminary objections, finding that the action was improperly constituted.
The court also dismissed Ike’s substantive claims because the actor failed to provide sufficient proof.
The judgment brings the proceedings before the Federal High Court to an end, subject to any further legal action the actor may pursue.
