Nigerian court rejects Emeka Ike’s 10 billion naira claim
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Bénin Web TV
Abuja’s Federal High Court has rejected Nigerian actor Emeka Ike’s claim for 10 billion naira from Lere Olayinka and the Independent National Electoral Commission over the publication of information about his voter registration. Judge Salim Ibrahim found that the proceedings raised issues of jurisdiction and due process, and that the claims were not sufficiently supported, Benin Web TV reports.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday 28 October rejected Nollywood actor Emeka Ike’s claim for 10 billion naira in damages against Lere Olayinka, an adviser to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Bénin Web TV reports.
Judge Salim Ibrahim upheld the defendants’ preliminary objections, which challenged the court’s jurisdiction and the propriety of the proceedings. He also found that the actor’s claims were not sufficiently supported by evidence.
Emeka Ike accused Lere Olayinka of publishing information in May about the transfer of his voter registration from Imo State to Abuja. He also sought the removal of the post and a written apology, citing the constitutional right to privacy and data protection legislation.
INEC argued that the information was among the data that electoral law requires to be made public and that it did not come from its secure database. Emeka Ike, who is also involved in politics, had lost the Nigerian Democratic Congress primary for the party’s nomination in the AMAC-Bwari constituency ahead of the 2027 legislative elections, before the disputed information was published.
