Lagos lawyer threatens lawsuit against Primate Ayodele over alleged defamatory remarks about Igbos

Lagos lawyer threatens lawsuit against Primate Ayodele over alleged defamatory remarks about Igbos

A Lagos-based lawyer, Maduabuchi Idam, has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to popular cleric, Primate Elijah Ayodele, threatening legal action over what he described as defamatory and inflammatory comments targeted at the Igbo ethnic group.

In a letter dated November 18, 2025, Idam said he was “grievously affected” by statements the founder of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church made in a viral video posted on November 16. In the footage, Ayodele was heard saying:
“Igbos are the problem of Nigeria. They are desperate for power… There is a curse on you and if you do not reverse that curse you can’t become president of Nigeria.”

Idam condemned the comments as “malicious, unprovoked and utterly irresponsible,” noting that they had been widely circulated across social media and published by several news outlets.

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The lawyer insisted that Ayodele’s remarks were defamatory, injurious to the dignity of millions of Igbo people, and had exposed them to “mockery, hatred, odium, and scorn.”

“As an Igbo man, I am directly affected by your latest comment,” Idam wrote, accusing the cleric of “pulpit racketeering” and warning that the statements had damaged his personal and professional reputation.

He demanded that Primate Ayodele issue a formal public apology or provide a satisfactory justification for the remarks within 48 hours.

Idam warned that failure to comply would result in legal action, possibly supported by other aggrieved Igbo individuals if Ohanaeze Ndigbo does not intervene.

Lagos lawyer threatens lawsuit against Primate Ayodele over alleged defamatory remarks about Igbos