Prominent businessman and All Progressives Congress (APC) figure Tonye Cole has initiated a ₦40.5 billion defamation action against Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike in the Abuja High Court on Friday November 7, 2025.
The case, numbered CV/4502/25, was lodged yesterday, following Cole’s unsuccessful demand two weeks earlier for Wike to retract and apologize for purportedly libelous comments.
Cole, who ran as the APC’s governorship candidate in Rivers State in 2023, alleges that Wike made “baseless, spiteful, and damaging” accusations against him during a September 18, 2025, appearance on a traditional media show titled “Politics Today.”
According to the filing, Wike depicted Cole as a “crook who misappropriated and undersold Rivers State gas turbines,” severely harming his public image.
The interview clip, circulated via a traditional media YouTube channel, website, and social media, features the claims around the 37-minute mark, Cole stated.
He further contends that Wike charged him and ex-governor Rotimi Amaechi with “draining” the state’s finances, including selling gas assets for $308 million and seizing assets like the Olympia Hotel.
It bears mentioning that Cole argues the remarks ignore the 2015 privatization framework, during which Wike was chief of staff in the Rivers government.
Evidence submitted includes a video download of the broadcast and a transcript, while Cole faults Channels Television for airing and amplifying the statements without verification.
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Respected international entrepreneur and philanthropist, Cole detailed his professional achievements, directorships, and charitable efforts in the claim.
Represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Jibrin Samuel Okutepa, Cole seeks a court ruling declaring the comments defamatory, plus orders for Wike and Channels TV to withdraw them and publish apologies.
He also requests a permanent ban on republishing the allegations, alongside ₦40 billion in general damages and ₦500 million for legal expenses.
