RismadarVoice Reporters
October 28, 2026
The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a ₦10 billion fundamental rights suit filed by Nollywood actor Emeka Ike against Lere Olayinka, an aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered the judgment on Wednesday, upholding preliminary objections raised by the respondents and ruling that the suit was incompetent and improperly constituted.
The court also dismissed the substantive claims for lack of sufficient proof.
Ike had instituted the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026, over the alleged unauthorised publication of his voter registration information on social media platform X.
The dispute followed the circulation of details concerning the actor’s transfer of voter registration from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory in May 2026.
Ike, who had sought the Nigeria Democratic Congress nomination for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general election, alleged that the publication violated his constitutional right to privacy and protection of personal data.
Relying on Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution and provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, he sought ₦10 billion in general and aggravated damages against Olayinka and INEC.
He also requested an order directing Olayinka to delete the disputed publication and issue a written apology.
The actor further argued that INEC had a statutory responsibility to protect voters’ personal information against unauthorised disclosure.
However, INEC rejected the allegations, maintaining that the disputed information was neither classified nor confidential.
The electoral commission argued that the Electoral Act, 2026, authorised the publication of certain voter information and denied breaching its duty to protect records held in its database.
Olayinka also denied wrongdoing, arguing that the information he shared was already publicly accessible and had not been obtained unlawfully.
He maintained that the publication did not constitute a violation of Ike’s privacy rights and urged the court to dismiss the application.
During earlier proceedings, Justice Ibrahim had encouraged the parties to explore an amicable settlement before the matter proceeded to judgment.
Wednesday’s ruling brought the proceedings before the Federal High Court to an end, with the judge finding that the application could not succeed.
The dismissal means that Ike’s request for ₦10 billion in damages and the accompanying reliefs were not granted.
The judgment does not, however, amount to a general ruling that all voter registration information may be disclosed without restriction.
It was not immediately clear whether the actor intended to challenge the decision on appeal.
