Nollywood actor and politician, Emeka Ike, has threatened to take legal action against Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the alleged exposure of his personal voter information.
Ike made the declaration during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, where he described the incident as a serious breach of privacy and an abuse of access to sensitive information.
The controversy followed a post made by Olayinka on his X account on Saturday, in which he claimed that Ike was previously registered as a voter in Imo State before transferring his voter registration to the Federal Capital Territory on May 15.
The post included screenshots that many social media users alleged were obtained from an administrative section of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.
The images reportedly contained personal details, including Ike’s application number, Voter Identification Number (VIN), registration centre, profile photograph, name, and date of registration transfer.
Reacting to the development, Ike expressed shock over the disclosure of the information and questioned how a government official could gain access to such records.
“It’s quite shocking, extreme and it is the height of political rascality for a government officer to access a citizen’s information from the INEC cyber,” he said.
According to him, the incident reflects a culture of impunity and raises concerns about the security of personal information held by public institutions.
“It tells you a lot and shows how much impunity we have flying around. People have access to things they should not have access to, and that is quite deplorable,” Ike stated.
The actor further argued that the action was not only directed at him but also constituted an affront to Nigerians and political stakeholders.
“He is telling every Nigerian that whoever you are, I can pull your information from anywhere and do what I want. That rascality needs to be stopped,” he added.
Ike disclosed that he was prepared to challenge Olayinka legally over the publication of his personal details.
“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. If he has been doing it in the past, this should be the last time he does it,” he said.
The actor also used the interview to explain the circumstances that led to his decision to contest for a seat in the House of Representatives.
Ike contested for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency seat in the Federal Capital Territory under the platform of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) but was unsuccessful in the election.
According to him, his initial plan was to seek political office in Imo State before he was persuaded by supporters to contest in Abuja.
“I actually wanted to run in my state, but a couple of people came to me. It was like a clarion call. They told me, ‘Sir, you need to do this now; we need you in Abuja,'” he explained.
He said the appeals from residents and stakeholders convinced him to focus his political ambitions on the nation’s capital.
“I considered the relevant issues they brought forward and said okay, let’s see how we can build Abuja. A municipal area needs to be properly guarded and looked into, so I decided to shift to Abuja,” Ike said.
The incident has sparked debate on social media about data privacy, access to sensitive electoral information, and the protection of personal records held by public institutions.
