Emeka Ike’s lawyers slam INEC, threaten action against Lere Olayinka

The legal team representing Nigerian actor and House of Representatives aspirant Emeka Ike has strongly condemned the online circulation of his voter registration details, vowing to take legal action against Lere Olayinka, an aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

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I view this situation, this very saddening situation, from two different perspectives. The first side is on my client, Honourable Emeka. I think this action by Lanre is a serious criminal breach of his right to privacy.

At a press conference in Abuja, Ike's lawyers described the alleged leak of information, purportedly from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) database, as a grave violation of privacy rights. They emphasized that this incident extends beyond an attack on their client, raising broader concerns about data security, electoral integrity, and public confidence in Nigeria's electoral system.

Leonard Adeh, the lead counsel, stated, "I view this situation, this very saddening situation, from two different perspectives. The first side is on my client, Honourable Emeka. I think this action by Lanre is a serious criminal breach of his right to privacy." He added that the INEC server, considered highly sensitive and secure, should not be breached, and that this event significantly damages INEC's public trust and the credibility of the electoral process.

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The INEC server or INEC database is one of the most sensitive and highly secured databases that one would expect would not be breached. On the other hand, it is also a very serious damage to INEC’s public trust, and it strikes directly at the credibility of INEC in conducting the entire electoral process.

Ike, a Nollywood veteran, is seeking to represent the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency. This marks his second political endeavor, having previously contested in 2018 under the Young Progressive Party. The controversy stems from a social media post by Olayinka, which included details from Ike's voter registration record, sparking widespread debate about data security and access to electoral records. Ike's legal team is pursuing appropriate legal actions against Olayinka for what they deem a serious crime against his person.

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Now, it is a very serious crime against his person, which is something that legal actions, appropriate legal actions, will be taken accordingly.