Court Rejects Emeka Ike’s Privacy Claim, Says N10bn Suit Lacks Proof

The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed Nollywood actor Emeka Ike’s N10 billion lawsuit against Lere Olayinka, an aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), ruling that the case was improperly constituted and lacked sufficient proof.

Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered the judgment on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, after upholding preliminary objections filed by the respondents. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026, centred on the alleged publication of Ike’s voter registration details on social media.

Ike had accused Olayinka, the FCT minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, of violating his right to privacy by sharing information about his voter registration on his X account in May.

The publication reportedly contained details of the actor’s transfer of voter registration from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory. Ike argued that the disclosure was made without his consent and breached his constitutional right to privacy and the protection of personal data.

Through his lawyer, L. T. Adeh, the actor asked the court to award him N10 billion in general and aggravated damages against Olayinka and INEC.

He also sought an order directing Olayinka to remove the disputed post from his social media account and issue a written apology for the alleged violation of his rights.

In support of his case, Ike relied on 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.

He further argued that INEC had a legal duty to protect the personal information of registered voters from unauthorised disclosure.

The actor also asked the court to interpret INEC’s statement of June 2, issued after the information circulated online, as an admission of responsibility for the alleged breach.

However, Olayinka and INEC opposed the suit and urged the court to dismiss it.

INEC maintained that the information complained about was neither classified nor confidential. The commission argued that the law empowered it to compile, maintain, display and publish the voters’ register in line with the Constitution, the Electoral Act, 2026, and applicable data protection laws.

The electoral body also denied that the information posted by Olayinka had originated from its systems, insisting that it had not breached its duty to protect information held within its secured portal and restricted database.

In a counter-affidavit, Anthonia Makwe, an assistant director and data protection officer in INEC’s Legal Drafting and Clearance Department, defended the commission’s handling of voter information.

Olayinka also denied wrongdoing, arguing that the document he published contained only Ike’s name and passport photograph, which he claimed were already publicly available.

He maintained that he had not obtained the information through unlawful means and argued that he did not require Ike’s consent to publish details he considered to be in the public domain.

The FCT minister’s aide further contended that Ike had placed himself in the public eye by expressing an ambition to contest the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency seat in the 2027 general elections.

Olayinka also argued that the publication was intended to draw attention to the actor’s transfer of voter registration and relevant electoral provisions. He denied that the post amounted to a breach of the actor’s fundamental rights.

The dispute arose as Ike pursued his political ambition under the platform of the Nigerian Democratic Congress. He later lost the party’s primary election for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency seat.

The court’s decision brings an end to the N10 billion claim at the trial court, with the judge dismissing the case after considering the respondents’ preliminary objections and the substantive claims.

The ruling represents a setback for Ike’s attempt to obtain damages over the circulation of his voter registration information. The court’s decision, as reported, was based on the competence of the suit and the failure to provide sufficient proof for the claims.

The case had raised questions about the boundaries between the privacy rights of registered voters and the public availability of certain electoral information, particularly as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections gather momentum.

However, the respondents’ arguments about the status of the information and the circumstances of its publication formed part of their defence and should be distinguished from the court’s stated grounds for dismissing the suit.

The judgment was delivered on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, by Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court in Abuja.