An Abuja High Court yesterday ordered the service of a N40 billion defamation suit on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Ezenwo Wike by substituted means. Justice M. A. Hassan, who issued the order while ruling in an ex parte application, ordered that the applicant Tonye Cole should paste the writ of summons, statement of claims, witness statement on oath, hearing notice and the entire court documents, on the gate of headquarters of the FCT, in Garki, Abuja.

During proceedings, lawyer for the applicant Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) narrated the inability to serve the court summons on the Wike and urged that the court to permit his client to serve the court’s documents through substituted service. Having granted the request, Justice Hassan fixed March 24 and 25, 2026, for hearing in the suit.

Cole, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 Rivers State governorship election, filed a lawsuit against Wike and Channels Incorporated Limited in court over alleged defamation.

Cole is seeking N40 billion in damages over alleged defamatory statements made by Wike during a live broadcast on Channels TV’s “Politics Today” on September 18.

According to the writ of summons and the attached statement of claim, Cole alleged that Wike’s statements during a live broadcast on Channels TV’s “Politics Today” on September 18 were false, malicious, offensive, and damaging to his reputation in personal, professional, and public capacities.