Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike, has announced plans to sue Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over what he described as a breach of his privacy following the circulation of his voter registration details.
The dispute began after Olayinka reportedly shared information sourced from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) database, revealing Ike’s voter transfer from Imo State to Abuja.
The post also questioned his eligibility to contest for a House of Representatives seat in Abuja.
Consequently, the publication sparked public criticism, with many Nigerians accusing the aide of gaining unauthorised access to sensitive electoral records.
The situation also raised concerns about the security of INEC’s voter registration system and data protection safeguards.
In reaction, INEC dismissed claims of a widespread breach, explaining that the issue was not caused by external hacking but by the misuse of legitimate internal access credentials by authorised personnel who exceeded their mandate.
Ike’s legal representative, Leonard Adeh, condemned the incident, describing it as both unlawful and dangerous to democratic processes.
“I view this situation, this very saddening situation, from two different perspectives. The first side is on my client, Honourable Emeka. I think this action by Lanre is a serious criminal breach of his right to privacy. Some external laws and regulations deal with situations of this nature,” he said.
He added that legal proceedings were already being prepared to address the issue.
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“Now, it is a very serious crime against his person, which is something that legal actions, appropriate legal actions, will be taken accordingly,” Adeh said.
“So we have been reviewing the situation, and we are taking appropriate steps to ensure that we involve relevant law enforcement agencies to deal with the situation, and also consider civil actions.
“And I must say for a fact that this will eventually result in consequential damages for this reckless and brutal action.”
In his own reaction during an interview with News Central TV on Thursday, June 4, Ike said the incident left him feeling exposed and unsafe.
“I felt insecure. For the first time, I’m feeling like, ‘Is anybody saving this country anymore?’” Ike asked.
He described the experience as distressing and an abuse of power, insisting that he would seek legal redress.
The actor confirmed that his lawyers had already contacted Olayinka, INEC, his political party, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the police to formally document the incident.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has also called for a transparent and independent investigation into the matter.
Ike recently declared his intention to contest a seat in the House of Representatives under the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), saying his decision is driven by a desire to promote structured development and governance reform.