ABUJA, Nigeria — A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Gwarinpa, Abuja, has ordered that Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, be served through substituted means in a ₦40 billion defamation suit filed by Tonye Cole, a former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State.
The order was made on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, by M. A. Hassan, the presiding judge, while ruling on an ex parte application brought by Jibrin Okutepa, counsel to Cole.
Okutepa told the court that several efforts to personally serve Wike with the originating court processes had failed.
He therefore asked the court to allow service through substituted means.
The judge granted the application and directed that the writ of summons, statement of claim, witness statements on oath, hearing notices and all other relevant court documents be pasted on the gate of the Federal Capital Territory Administration headquarters in Garki, Abuja.
The court fixed March 24 and 25, 2026, for the hearing of the suit.
The case, marked CV/4502/25, lists Wike and Channels Incorporated Limited, owners of Channels Television, as the first and second defendants.
The suit arose from statements allegedly made by Wike during a live broadcast of Channels Television’s programme, “Politics Today,” on Thursday, September 18, 2025.
According to the claimant, both defendants failed to comply with a pre-action notice and a letter of demand dated Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
Cole is seeking ₦40 billion in damages, alleging that the comments made during the interview were false, malicious and damaging to his reputation.
In his statement of claim, Cole said Wike alleged that he “crippled the resources” of Rivers State alongside Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of the state, and took over public assets, including the Olympia Hotel and other properties.
Cole further accused Channels Television of broadcasting and repeatedly republishing the remarks without what he described as due diligence.
He told the court that the allegations contradict his standing as a global business leader and philanthropist and have injured him in his personal, professional and public life.
He is therefore asking the court to declare that the statements made by Wike “are false, malicious, offensive, and defamatory” and were calculated to disparage him “in his personal, professional, and public capacity”.
Cole is also seeking an order compelling both defendants to retract in full the alleged defamatory comments disseminated across various media and online platforms.
In addition, he wants the court to order that “every copy, clip, or rebroadcast” of the material be permanently removed from all such platforms.
He is further asking for an order directing the defendants to issue and circulate a press statement acknowledging the falsity and impropriety of the statements, with the same level of prominence, visibility and duration as the original broadcast and publications.
Cole is also requesting that the court compel the defendants to tender an unreserved public apology through a live broadcast on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” and through publication in not fewer than five national daily newspapers with wide circulation.
In addition to declaratory and injunctive reliefs, the claimant is seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants and their agents from publishing or disseminating any further alleged defamatory material about him.
He is also demanding ₦40 billion in general damages and ₦500 million as the cost of litigation.
Neither Wike nor Channels Television issued a public response on Tuesday following the court’s ruling.
With the hearing dates now set, the case is expected to draw significant national attention, given the political stature of both parties and the scale of the damages being claimed.
