A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until July 22 the N10 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Nollywood actor Emeka Ike against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Lere Olayinka, an aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The adjournment was granted by Justice S.O. Ibrahim after counsel to the plaintiff, L.T. Adeh, informed the court that although the first respondent had filed a response, INEC had failed to appear despite being served with hearing notices.
Adeh urged the court to adjourn the matter to enable the electoral body to appear and participate in the proceedings.
Granting the request on Thursday, Justice Ibrahim said the adjournment was necessary to ensure a fair hearing and give INEC an opportunity to present its case.
“Having considered the motion and noting that there is no objection, I hereby grant the request and adjourn the matter to give the second respondent an opportunity to appear before the court,” the judge said.
Justice Ibrahim also ordered that INEC be served with all relevant court processes before the next hearing.
The suit stems from allegations that Ike’s voter registration details were unlawfully disclosed on Olayinka’s official X handle after screenshots showing his transfer of voter registration from Imo State to the FCT surfaced online.
The actor contends that the information was accessed through a restricted INEC portal without his consent.
While counsel to Olayinka, Akpama Ekwe, argued that “there is no case against my client” because the published documents contained only Ike’s name and transfer number, Adeh insisted that INEC “has no defence in the matter,” maintaining that the suit could set an important precedent for the protection of voters’ personal data.
Ike is seeking N10 billion in damages, as well as orders directing the removal of the social media post and the publication of a public apology.