A Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed further proceedings in the N10 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Nollywood actor Emeka Ike against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The case was adjourned to July 22, 2026, after Justice S.O. Ibrahim granted a short break in the proceedings to allow INEC to appear before the court.
During Thursday's sitting, counsel to the actor, L.T. Adeh, told the court that the first respondent had already filed a response to the suit.
He also said hearing notices had been served on both respondents but noted that INEC was not represented in court. He therefore requested an adjournment to enable the electoral body to take part in the proceedings.
Lawyer to the first respondent, Akpama Ekwe, did not object to the request but informed the court that he was ready for the matter to continue.
Adeh also said he planned to file a reply to the first respondent's counter-affidavit before the end of the week.
Justice Ibrahim ruled that granting a brief adjournment would ensure fairness and provide INEC with another opportunity to appear before the court.
Although Ekwe argued that the case should proceed because INEC could not be forced to attend, the judge maintained his position and fixed July 22 for further mention.
The court also directed that INEC should be served with the hearing notice together with every document filed in the suit before the next hearing.
The lawsuit followed claims by Ike that his voter registration details were unlawfully disclosed on Lere Olayinka's verified X account.
The information surfaced online after screenshots showing the transfer of the actor's voter registration from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory circulated on social media.
Ike claimed the information was published without his permission and alleged that it was obtained through restricted access to INEC's administrative portal.
He is asking the court to award him N10 billion in damages for the alleged violation of his privacy. He is also seeking an order directing that the social media post be removed and that a public apology be issued.
INEC has maintained that its database was not hacked, insisting that the incident resulted from the misuse of authorised internal access credentials rather than a cyberattack.
After the court session, Ekwe insisted that the evidence presented by the actor could not be relied upon in court. He also argued that the information shared by his client did not amount to a violation of personal data, adding that the documents only contained Ike's name, transfer number and passport photograph.
On his part, Adeh said he believed INEC had no defence in the case. He added that the matter could help strengthen the protection of voters' personal information and prevent similar incidents in the future.
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