Kwankwaso Threatens N10bn Lawsuit Against Primate Ayodele Over Alleged Defamation

NDC vice-presidential candidate gives controversial cleric 24-hour ultimatum to retract claims of betrayal and financial inducement

The Vice-Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) , Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has threatened to institute a N10 billion defamation suit against the founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, over alleged defamatory remarks linking him to a potential plot to betray the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi. The threat was contained in a demand letter dated June 11, 2026, issued by Kwankwaso’s legal team, Magaji Mato Ibrahim SAN & Co., and posted on X by Kwankwaso’s media aide, Saifullahi Hassan. The lawyers accused Primate Ayodele of publishing “false, malicious and defamatory” statements capable of damaging Kwankwaso’s reputation and political standing.

According to the legal team, the controversial remarks were made during a sermon delivered before a congregation and broadcast live to a wide audience. The letter alleged that Ayodele stated, among other things, that: “Kwankwaso is a fake to Obi, Kwankwaso will betray you, Kwankwaso has been paid to be vice president to Obi.” The lawyers argued that the statements directly attacked their client’s credibility, sincerity of purpose and political integrity as the running mate to Peter Obi under the NDC platform for the 2027 presidential election. “Our Client’s attention has been drawn to your viral publication which is trending on all social media platforms and in international and local news outlets, wherein you published malicious and defamatory contents against him geared toward tarnishing his long-earned reputation in Nigeria and beyond,” the letter read. The legal team further contended that the assertions were deliberate, false and unsubstantiated. “Your assertions which are deliberate, premeditated, false, unprovoked, grossly unfounded and unsubstantiated meant and negatively portrays our Client to right thinking members of the society as deviant, hypocritic, deceitful and insincere,” the letter added. According to the law firm, the alleged damaging remarks were carefully designed to damage Kwankwaso’s reputation and create division within the NDC and among its supporters.

READ ALSO:

• Kenya to Charge Nine Students with Murder Over Deadly School Fire That Killed 16 Girls
• Ebonyi Police Arrest 13 Over Mob Attack on Woman Falsely Accused of Child Abduction
• US Senate Passes Historic War Powers Resolution Rebuking Trump Over Iran Conflict

Kwankwaso himself expressed deep embarrassment over the remarks, noting that his phone “started buzzing nonstop” with clips of the sermon circulating widely across Kano, Abuja, and even outside Nigeria. He stressed that he has spent more than four decades in public service, serving in various capacities, including two terms as Governor of Kano State, Minister of Defence, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Senator, presidential candidate, and now vice-presidential candidate. “You don’t spend 40 years in politics to let your name become content for a 30-second clip. Not when the words are said to millions, live, with no fact and no call to verify,” Kwankwaso stated. He maintained that the issue was not an attempt to silence religious leaders or suppress freedom of expression, but rather a move to protect his integrity and ensure accountability in public discourse. “This is not about silencing a pulpit. It’s about protecting truth. If you disagree with my politics, debate me on policy, on Kano, on Nigeria. But don’t manufacture lies and feed them to a congregation,” he said. Kwankwaso added that the matter now rests with the cleric, warning that failure to comply with the demands could result in legal proceedings. “Now the ball is in his court. I’m waiting. Nigeria is watching. And I’ll let the law and the public decide if a reputation earned over decades gets defended, or gets defined by a viral sermon,” he concluded.

The legal team gave Primate Ayodele a strict 24-hour ultimatum to publish a “full, direct and unequivocal retraction” of the statements and issue an apology across all social media platforms and reputable local and international media outlets where the comments gained attention. They also demanded a written undertaking from the cleric, committing to refrain from publishing or republishing any further defamatory statements against Kwankwaso. The letter warned that failure to comply within the stipulated period would trigger legal proceedings seeking substantial damages. “Take Notice that if you neglect, fail or refuse to accede to our reasonable demands within the stipulated time frame, we have our Client’s unflinching instruction to take out appropriate legal proceedings against you without further recourse to you, wherein we shall claim substantial damages to the tune of Ten Billion Naira and cost of the action on a full indemnity basis amongst other reliefs,” the letter stated.

Meanwhile, the OK Movement, a support group for the NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate Kwankwaso, has backed the legal action. The group condemned Ayodele’s remarks and demanded a retraction and apology, stating: “Public statements must be rooted in facts and civility. Truth, accountability and responsibility for public engagement remains essential to strengthening our nation, culture and civilization.” As of the time of filing this report, Primate Ayodele had not publicly responded to the demands contained in the letter.

Kwankwaso Threatens N10bn Lawsuit Against Primate Ayodele Over Alleged Defamation