Nollywood actor and politician Emeka Ike has threatened legal action against Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the alleged unauthorized exposure of his personal voter information from the Independent National Electoral Commission portal.
The controversy erupted on May 30, 2026, when Olayinka posted screenshots on X, formerly Twitter, claiming Ike had transferred his voter registration from Imo State to the FCT on May 15, 2026. The images reportedly contained sensitive details including Ike’s Voter Identification Number, application number, registration centre, profile photograph, name, and date of application. Olayinka’s post read: “Emeka Ike was a registered voter in Imo State. He only transferred his INEC Registration to the FCT on May 15, 2026 (15 days ago). And he wants to contest for House of Reps in Abuja!”
Reacting during an interview Ike described the disclosure as “shocking, extreme and the height of political rascality for a government officer to access a citizen’s information from the INEC cyber”. He said the act showed “how much impunity we have flying around” and called it “a huge insult and slap on every political party and every Nigerian”.
The actor, who contested the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency House of Representatives seat under the Nigerian Democratic Congress in the last election, said his personal data had no place in the public domain. “Actions are ready. I’m ready to take him on. He has no right to exploit my privacy and insult Nigerians the way he did,” Ike stated.
Cybersecurity analysts and legal observers have raised concerns that the alleged leak may violate the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Cybercrime Act, given the sensitive nature of the exposed details. The INEC administrative portal, http://cvradmin.inecnigeria.org, is restricted to authorized electoral staff, prompting calls for an investigation into how Olayinka obtained access.
Olayinka has not issued a formal response as of press time. INEC is yet to comment on the alleged breach.
The incident has reignited debate over data privacy and security ahead of the 2027 general elections, with many Nigerians demanding accountability from electoral authorities.
