Veteran Nollywood actor and politician, Emeka Ike, has declared his readiness to take strict legal action against Lere Olayinka, the media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The dispute stems from an alleged breach of privacy after Olayinka reportedly published Ike’s sensitive personal data, extracted from the administrative portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ike, who recently lost the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) primary ticket for the AMAC/Bwari federal constituency, condemned the act during a Channels Television broadcast, labeling the leak as “the height of political rascality” and a blatant display of administrative impunity.
“He is telling every Nigerian that whoever you are, I can pull your information from anywhere and I can do what I want, and that rascality needs to be stopped. He has no right to exploit my privacy.” — Emeka Ike, Actor & Politician
The controversy erupted after Olayinka shared screenshots on his X handle, mocking Ike’s recent voter registration transfer from Imo State to Abuja, just 15 days prior to his House of Representatives bid.
The posted images contained highly confidential data from INEC’s administrative login portal, including Ike’s Voter Identification Number (VIN), application number, registration centre, profile picture, and exact date of application.
Defending his political ambition, Ike explained that his shift to the FCT race was a response to a “clarion call” from residents urging him to help address pressing municipal issues in Abuja, rather than an underhanded political maneuver.
In a swift institutional response, INEC disclosed that its internal audit trail has ruled out external hacking or cyberattacks, pointing instead to an insider leak.
According to a statement issued by National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, the confidential data was illegally leaked by an internal staff member utilizing valid user credentials assigned for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
The electoral umpire confirmed that investigators have already pinpointed the specific user account involved, and the relevant personnel have been detained for questioning.
To ensure a comprehensive inquiry, the Department of State Services (DSS) has launched a parallel, independent investigation into the security breach.
While INEC reassured the public that the personal data of over 90 million registered voters remains completely secure and that the breach was isolated to Ike’s single record, the commission warned that anyone found culpable will face severe prosecution.
Both INEC and security agencies have pledged to make their final findings public, promising stricter internal access-control protocols to prevent future abuses of power.
