The 2023 Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Tonye Patrick Cole, has filed a ₦40 billion defamation lawsuit against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, over alleged defamatory statements made during a live television interview.
In the suit filed before a Federal High Court, Cole accused Wike of making “malicious, false, and politically motivated statements” that seriously damaged his reputation and public image.
The legal action stems from remarks made by Wike during a Channels Television’s Politics Today programme aired on September 18, 2025, where the minister allegedly accused Cole of “stealing state resources,” “selling gas assets for $308 million,” and “taking Olympia Hotel.”
Cole described the allegations as “utterly false and deliberately intended to paint me as corrupt, deceitful, and criminally minded before millions of viewers.”
According to the APC chieftain, the broadcast gravely injured his reputation, which he said had been built over decades of business leadership, philanthropy, and public service.
Human rights lawyer and activist, Barrister Deji Adeyanju, has joined the case as a witness for the claimant. Adeyanju told the court that he personally watched the live broadcast and was “shocked by the recklessness of the allegations.”
In his sworn deposition, Adeyanju faulted both Wike and Channels Television for what he described as a misuse of a national platform to spread unverified and damaging claims. He noted that such actions erode public trust in the media and responsible political communication.
Adeyanju also recalled that in a separate live interview in 2024, Wike had allegedly described him as “one of those people with no job,” saying he had submitted evidence of that broadcast to demonstrate “a consistent pattern of malicious and defamatory speech by the first defendant against critics and civic voices.”
“I watched that interview live. The words used were malicious and unbecoming of a public officer. The media has a duty to inform, not to defame,” Adeyanju stated.
Cole, who co-founded and served as Group Executive Director of Sahara Group, said the defamatory broadcast caused immense emotional distress and professional harm.
He is demanding ₦40 billion in general and aggravated damages, a public apology, and a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from publishing or re-broadcasting the offending statements.
According to court filings, Cole’s legal team stressed that the statements not only injured his personal dignity but also jeopardized several international partnerships, with some corporate and philanthropic associates suspending collaborations pending clarification of the allegations. “This is no longer about politics; it is about truth, accountability, and the integrity of public discourse,” Cole said through his lawyers. “Every Nigerian deserves protection from reckless abuse of public platforms,” he added.
