Veteran Nollywood actor Emeka Ike has voiced strong frustration over the dismissal of his N10 billion fundamental rights suit against Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Reacting shortly after the judgment delivered on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Ike questioned the judicial definition of fundamental human rights. The actor expressed concern that individuals can suffer clear privacy breaches, cyberbullying, and public ridicule without securing legal remedy.
“It’s even crazy that your right will be violated and the judge will tell you it’s not a fundamental human right. Then what is a fundamental human right? The embarrassment, the bullying online,” Ike stated while reacting to the verdict.
The actor’s reaction followed a ruling by Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who upheld the preliminary objections filed by the respondents, striking out suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1272/2026 on the grounds that it was incompetent and improperly constituted.
The suit originated after Olayinka allegedly posted screenshots of Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to Abuja on X (formerly Twitter) under @OlayinkaLere following Ike’s primary election loss for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency seat under the Nigeria Democratic Congress. Ike had contended that the public exposure violated Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution and the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
However, the court concurred with counter-affidavits from INEC and Olayinka—wherein the electoral body, through Data Protection Officer Anthonia Makwe, maintained that voter register details are public records published pursuant to the Electoral Act, 2026, requiring no individual consent.
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