Nollywood actor and politician Emeka Ike says he felt unsafe and insecure after his personal information was allegedly exposed through records linked to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), prompting him to initiate legal action.
Speaking during an interview on News Central Television, Ike, a House of Representatives aspirant under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), described the incident as deeply disturbing and raised concerns about data protection and citizen safety in Nigeria.
“It was shocking. It was so disturbing that I felt unsafe. I felt insecure. For the first time, I’m feeling like, is anybody safe in this country anymore?” Ike said.
The actor alleged that the disclosure of his personal information amounted to an abuse of power and reflected what he described as political recklessness.
“It’s an abuse of power. It’s basically telling Nigerians that we’re in charge, we know you all, we’ll do what we want and we can get away with it,” he said.
Ike said he had instructed his legal team to pursue the matter in court and formally notify relevant authorities and institutions.
According to him, his lawyer has written to Lere Olayinka, the media aide to Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, as well as INEC, his political party, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force.
“Obviously, I will go to court, and my lawyer has already written to Lere and INEC. He has also written my party, the DSS and the police so that it can be on record that something like this has happened in Nigeria,” Ike said.
The actor maintained that the incident raises broader concerns about the protection of citizens’ personal information and the accountability of public institutions responsible for safeguarding such data.
Neither INEC nor the individuals named by Ike had publicly responded to the allegations at the time of his remarks.
