Nollywood actor Emeka Ike has threatened legal action against Lere Olayinka over the alleged exposure of his voter registration details from the database of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Gatekeepers News reports that the controversy began after Olayinka shared screenshots on social media showing details of Ike’s voter registration transfer from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) while questioning his eligibility to contest for a House of Representatives seat in Abuja. The images reportedly contained personal information, including his voter identification details and application records.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Ike described the incident as disturbing and an abuse of power, saying he felt vulnerable after discovering that his personal information had been accessed and published.
“I felt unsafe for the first time.”
The actor also condemned the alleged unauthorised access to his records, describing it as a violation of citizens’ privacy.
“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 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.”
Ike said he was prepared to challenge Olayinka in court, insisting that no one has the right to exploit another person’s private information.
“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.”
Meanwhile, INEC has launched an investigation into the incident and said preliminary findings showed no evidence that its voter database was hacked.
According to the commission, the information was allegedly accessed using valid credentials assigned to authorised personnel, suggesting possible internal misuse rather than an external breach. The Department of State Services (DSS) and the police have also opened separate investigations into the matter.
Reports indicate that Olayinka has already been questioned by police investigators, while an INEC official is also being investigated over the alleged unauthorised release of the actor’s voter information.
