A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned further proceedings in the N10bn fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Nollywood actor Emeka Ike against the Independent National Electoral Commission and Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026, came up before Justice S O Ibrahim, where counsel to Ike, L T Adeh, informed the court that the first respondent, Olayinka, had filed a response to the suit. Adeh added that hearing notices had been served on both respondents but noted that INEC was not represented in court

He therefore applied for an adjournment to allow the electoral body appear and respond to the allegations. Counsel to Olayinka, Akpama Ekwe, did not oppose the request, though he indicated readiness to proceed with the matter

Justice Ibrahim ruled that a short adjournment was necessary in the interest of fair hearing, stressing that INEC must be given an opportunity to participate in the proceedings. Ekwe urged the court to fix the matter for hearing, arguing that INEC could not be compelled to attend, but the judge maintained his position and adjourned the case for further mention

The court also ordered that INEC be served afresh with hearing notices and all processes filed in the suit before the next sitting

Ike’s suit arises from the alleged unlawful disclosure of his voter registration details on Olayinka’s official social media handle, after screenshots showing the transfer of his voter registration from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory surfaced online. The actor contends that the information was accessed from a restricted INEC administrative portal and published without his consent

He is seeking N10bn in damages for alleged breach of his right to privacy, as well as orders compelling the removal of the post and a public apology

INEC has maintained that its database was not breached, insisting instead that the incident stemmed from the misuse of authorised internal access credentials

Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, Ekwe dismissed the evidence tendered by Ike as inadmissible and argued that his client had not violated any law. He insisted that the documents posted contained only Ike’s name, transfer number and passport photograph, which he said did not amount to disclosure of sensitive personal data

Adeh, however, expressed confidence in Ike’s case, arguing that INEC’s conduct showed it had no defence. He said the suit was intended to set a precedent that would deter future breaches of voters’ data and protect citizens’ privacy