Court Dismisses Emeka Ike’s ₦10bn Suit Against Wike’s Aide

By The Merit Newspaper Correspondent

FCT, Abuja -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, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Salim Ibrahim, in his judgment on Wednesday, upheld the respondents’ preliminary objections, ruling that the suit was incompetent and improperly constituted. The judge also dismissed the substantive case for lack of sufficient proof.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026, arose from the alleged publication of Ike’s voter registration details on the social media platform X by Olayinka in May.

Ike had accused the FCT minister’s aide of publishing his personal voter information without his consent, alleging that the action violated his fundamental right to privacy and the protection of personal data.

Through his lawyer, Leonard Adeh, the actor sought ₦10 billion in aggravated and general damages against the two respondents. He also asked the court to order Olayinka to remove the disputed publication and issue a written apology over the alleged violation of his rights.

However, Olayinka and INEC opposed the suit, urging the court to dismiss the claims. Olayinka maintained that the information he published was already in the public domain, while INEC argued that the voter information in question was neither classified nor confidential and that the commission had statutory responsibilities concerning the publication of the voters’ register.

Ike, who aspired to contest the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency seat in the 2027 general elections on the platform of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), had lost his bid in the party’s primary election. The court’s decision dismisses his claims for damages in the suit against Olayinka and INEC.