The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed July 2, 2026, for further hearing in the N10 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Nollywood actor and politician Emeka Ike against Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Justice Salim Ibrahim adjourned the matter on Thursday after counsel to the applicant, Leonard Adeh, requested additional time to allow the respondents to file their responses.

Emeka Ike had instituted the suit against Olayinka and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging a breach of his constitutional right to privacy following the publication of his voter registration details on social media.

When the case came up for mention, only Ike's legal representative was present in court.

Adeh informed the court that the respondents had only been served with the court processes a day earlier and sought clarification regarding the nature of the service effected on the defendants.

"My lord, I want to know the nature of service effected, particularly on the 1st defendant," the lawyer told the court.

Responding to the request, Justice Ibrahim directed court officials to provide counsel with the proof of service contained in the court records. After reviewing the documents, Adeh expressed satisfaction and subsequently sought an adjournment, noting that the respondents were still within the stipulated period to file their defence.

The court thereafter adjourned the matter to July 2 and ordered that hearing notices be issued and served on both respondents.

Origin of the Dispute

The legal action stems from a social media post allegedly made by Olayinka in May, in which screenshots containing details of Ike's voter registration transfer from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory were published on X (formerly Twitter).

The actor, who sought to contest for the House of Representatives seat representing AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency under the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), claimed the publication exposed confidential personal information without his consent.

According to Ike, the disclosure was used to question his eligibility to contest the election and triggered widespread public debate over how the information was obtained.

The incident generated controversy, with allegations that the information may have originated from INEC's restricted voter database.

INEC's Response

Following public concerns, INEC denied reports of a cyberattack or external breach of its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database.

The electoral commission stated that the unauthorised disclosure resulted from the misuse of valid internal access credentials by authorised personnel rather than any hacking of its systems.

The matter also attracted the attention of security agencies, with investigators from the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) reportedly questioning both Olayinka and an electoral officer over the alleged leak.

Ike Seeks N10 Billion Damages

In the suit, Ike is asking the court to declare that the publication of his voter information without his consent constitutes a violation of his fundamental right to privacy as guaranteed under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and relevant provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.

The actor is also seeking a declaration that INEC owed him and other registered voters a statutory duty to protect their personal data from unauthorised access and disclosure.

Among the reliefs sought, Ike is requesting:

• A declaration that both Olayinka and INEC are liable for the alleged breach of his privacy rights.

• An order directing Olayinka to remove the social media publication containing his voter information.

• A written apology to be published on Olayinka's X account and in three national newspapers.

• General and aggravated damages of N10 billion against both respondents, jointly and severally.

The case is expected to resume on July 2, when the court will consider further proceedings after the respondents file their responses.