Nollywood actor and politician Emeka Ike has threatened legal action over the alleged unauthorised disclosure of his voter registration details, as Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) investigates a data leak linked to its voter database.
The controversy erupted after screenshots containing Ike’s voter information circulated on social media during discussions surrounding a recent political party primary election in the Federal Capital Territory.
Ike, who contested in the All Progressives Congress chairmanship primary for Abuja Municipal Area Council, said the publication of his personal voter details amounted to a breach of privacy and could have serious implications for the protection of citizens’ data.
According to a statement issued through his legal representatives, the actor demanded accountability from individuals involved in disseminating the information and warned that legal proceedings could follow if those responsible failed to retract the publication and issue an apology.
The dispute centres on allegations that a political aide linked to the administration of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike shared details from the voter register in an attempt to challenge Ike’s eligibility claims during the party’s internal electoral process.
INEC has since confirmed that it is investigating the incident and said preliminary findings traced the access to a user account assigned to personnel participating in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The electoral commission said there was no evidence of external hacking or a compromise of its broader information technology infrastructure, describing the incident as an unauthorised release of data accessed through legitimate credentials.
INEC added that relevant officials had been questioned and that the Department of State Services had commenced a separate investigation into the matter.
The commission pledged to make its findings public and take appropriate action against any individual found culpable, while urging the public to avoid speculation as investigations continue.