The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a N10 billion fundamental rights enforcement lawsuit filed by veteran Nollywood actor Emeka Ike against the Independent National Electoral Commission and Lere Olayinka, an aide to Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.
Delivering the judgment on Wednesday, Justice Salim Ibrahim upheld the preliminary objections raised by the respondents, ruling that the suit was incompetent and improperly constituted, according to Tribune Online. The judge also dismissed the substantive suit entirely because the applicant failed to provide sufficient proof.
The legal battle began after Ike contested and lost a primary election on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress to represent the AMAC/Bwari federal constituency in the 2027 elections. Following his defeat, Olayinka allegedly shared a post on X showing details of the actor transferring his voter registration from Imo State to Abuja.
Through his lawyer, L.T. Adeh, the screen star instituted legal action marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026. Ike claimed that sharing his details on social media without his consent violated his right to privacy and data protection under the 1999 Constitution and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. Alongside demanding N10 billion in damages, he asked the court to compel Olayinka to delete the post and issue a public written apology.
Both respondents asked the court to strike out the case. INEC insisted in its counter-affidavit that the voter information in question was neither confidential nor classified. The electoral umpire noted that publishing voter records is within its legal mandate under electoral laws, maintaining that the post on social media did not originate from its system.
Olayinka also opposed the suit, stating that the image he published only carried Ike's name and passport photograph, which were already public knowledge. He argued that the actor voluntarily entered the political arena and could not claim trauma over basic details already exposed to the public.
Ike, who gained fame in the late 1990s and 2000s as a romantic lead in classic Nollywood films, has in recent years explored political ambitions alongside his entertainment career.
