The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday fixed July 2 for hearing in a N10 billion rights suit filed by a Nollywood actor and politician, Emeka Ike, against Lere Olayinka.
Olayinka is the Senior Special Assistant to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
Justice Salim Ibrahim fixed the date after Ike’s counsel, Leonard Adeh, sought an adjournment to enable the respondents to file their defence.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ike, in the fundamental rights enforcement suit, sued Olayinka and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st and 2nd respondents over alleged breach of personal data.
When the case was called on Thursday, only the applicant’s lawyer, Adeh, was in court.
He informed the court that the matter was scheduled for mention.
“However, I want to bring to the notice of the court that the bailiff told me that parties (respondents) were only served yesterday.
“My lord, I want to know the nature of service effected, particularly on the 1st defendant (Olayinka),” the lawyer prayed.
When the judge asked him why he made the request, he said, “We don’t want to have a jurisdictional issue, my lord.”
Justice Ibrahim then directed a court worker to avail Adeh with a copy of the proof of service in the court’s record.
“My lord, I am satisfied, sir,” Adeh responded.
The lawyer, who said Olayinka and INEC were still within time to respond, sought an adjournment.
Justice Ibrahim subsequently adjourned the matter until July 2 for further mention.
The judge ordered that hearing notices be issued and served on 1st and 2nd respondents.
The Nollywood actor, who was an aspirant for the House of Representatives’ seat for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency, Abuja, for the 2027 general elections on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), lost the bid in a primary poll.
The minister’s aide, through a post on ‘X’ in May, was alleged to have mocked Ike by leaking his confidential voter registration details on social media.
