• APC Tonye Cole files ₦40.5 billion defamation suit against FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Channels TV
• Allegations of mismanaged Rivers State resources and illicit asset sales during live broadcast
• Cole seeks public apology, retractions, injunction, and damages
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All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and former Rivers State governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, has instituted a ₦40.5 billion defamation suit against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and Channels Television. The suit, filed under case number CV/4502/25, is before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja.
Cole alleged that during a live broadcast of Politics Today on Channels Television on September 18, 2025, Wike made false statements portraying him as having mismanaged Rivers State resources and sold state-owned gas assets for $308 million. He contended that the remarks, which also accused him of diverting state funds and misappropriating property including Olympia Hotel, were shared widely on Channels TV’s YouTube channel, website, and social media platforms.
Describing the statements as reckless and misleading, Cole said they ignored the context of a 2015 privatisation process in which Wike acted as the state government’s Chief of Staff. He submitted a copy of the broadcast and its transcript as evidence before the court.
Channels Television is accused of failing to exercise professional diligence in broadcasting and amplifying the allegedly defamatory remarks. Cole, highlighting his record as an accomplished entrepreneur, philanthropist, and public figure, said the allegations were inconsistent with his track record and intended to tarnish his reputation.
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Cole noted that the referenced $432 million privatisation deal, in which NG Power paid $302.4 million in full, was repeatedly examined by judicial panels from 2015 to 2023 with no wrongdoing found.
He is seeking a declaration that Wike’s statements were false and defamatory, a public apology and retraction on Politics Today and in five national newspapers, a perpetual injunction restraining further publication of the remarks, ₦40 billion in general damages, and ₦500 million for litigation costs. Cole is represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Jibrin Samuel Okutepa.
