The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has scheduled 9 December 2025 for the hearing of the suit filed by Tonye Patrick Cole against Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Minister of the FCT, and Channels Television Limited. The case, filed under suit number CV/4502/25, involves allegations of defamation.

Cole, who was the 2023 APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, is seeking N40 billion in damages. He claims that Wike made false, malicious, and damaging statements about him during a live broadcast on Channels TV’s Politics Today on 18 September 2025.

According to the court documents, Wike allegedly suggested that Cole was involved in financial impropriety and mismanagement of state resources, referencing issues related to Rivers State gas and the Olympia Hotel.

Cole’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Jibri Okutepa, argued that the statements were defamatory, harming Cole’s reputation personally, professionally, and internationally.

In addition to the N40 billion in damages, Cole is seeking N500 million for legal costs and various court orders. These include:

• A declaration that Wike’s statements were false and defamatory
• An order requiring the defendants to retract the statements and remove all copies from every platform
• A public apology to be broadcast on Channels TV and published in at least five national newspapers
• A perpetual injunction preventing the defendants from publishing further defamatory material about him

Cole’s legal team stated that a pre-action notice and letter of demand were served on Wike and Channels TV on 8 October 2025, but the defendants did not comply, prompting the court action.

The FCT High Court has directed the defendants to enter an appearance within 21 days of being served with the writ.