A high court in Abuja has directed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike to appear in court on December 9 over a N40 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Tonye Cole.
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The case also names Channels Television’s parent company as a co-defendant.
LIST OF APPLICATIONS FOR REGULARISATION OF AREA COUNCIL LAND DOCUMENTS NULLIFIED/CANCELLED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF FCT
The suit, filed by Cole who ran for Rivers State governor under the APC in 2023, stems from remarks Wike made during a live interview on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on September 18. Cole argues that those statements falsely accused him of financial misconduct and wrongfully harmed his reputation.
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LIST OF APPLICATIONS FOR REGULARISATION OF AREA COUNCIL LAND DOCUMENTS NULLIFIED/CANCELLED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF FCT
Court filings show the broadcaster and Wike were given a pre-action notice and a letter of demand on October 8, which they did not act on, prompting the full suit which seeks damages for reputational injury, mental distress and loss of public trust. Cole is also demanding retraction of the broadcast, deletion of the content online, a public apology in several national newspapers, and a permanent ban on repeating similar statements.
In addition to the N40 billion claim, Cole is seeking N500 million to cover legal costs and a formal declaration that the broadcast was defamatory. He wants the court to bar Wike and the station from disseminating harmful allegations about him in the future.
The court has given the defendants 21 days from service of the writ to respond. The first mention hearing is scheduled before Justice M. A. Hassan in Court 33.
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