Data privacy dispute: Court to hear Emeka Ike’s N10bn suit against Wike’s aide

The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed July 2, for further proceedings in a N10 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Emeka Ike, Nollywood actor and politician against Lere Olayinka, senior special assistant on public communications to Nyesom Wike,Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Justice Salim Ibrahim adjourned the matter on Thursday after Leonard Adeh, counsel to Ike, informed the court that the respondents had only recently been served and were still within the statutory period to file their responses.

Ike is seeking damages over the alleged unauthorised disclosure of his voter registration information on social media, an incident that has raised concerns about data protection and access controls within Nigeria’s electoral system.

The suit names Olayinka and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as respondents.

According to court filings, Olayinka allegedly published screenshots containing details of Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory on his X account in May.

The actor contends that the publication breached his constitutional right to privacy and violated provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.

The controversy emerged after Olayinka questioned Ike’s eligibility to contest for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency seat under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), citing information reportedly obtained from INEC’s voter registration database.

INEC subsequently denied reports of an external breach of its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database, attributing the disclosure to the misuse of valid internal credentials by authorised personnel rather than a cyberattack.

The incident also drew the attention of law enforcement authorities, with investigators reportedly inviting Olayinka and an electoral officer for questioning over the alleged leak.

In the suit, Ike is asking the court to declare that the publication of his voter information without consent constituted a violation of his rights under Section 37 of the Constitution, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Sections 24 and 39 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act.

He further argues that INEC owes registered voters a statutory duty of care to safeguard personal data and prevent unauthorised access or disclosure.

Among the reliefs sought are a declaration holding both respondents jointly liable for the alleged breach, an order compelling the removal of the social media post, a public apology, and N10 billion in aggravated and general damages.

The court also directed that hearing notices be served on both respondents ahead of the next sitting.