Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has threatened to institute a ₦10 billion defamation lawsuit against the leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, over alleged defamatory remarks made against him.
In a legal notice dated June 11, 2026, and signed by Magaji Ibrahim (SAN) of Magaji Mato Ibrahim SAN & Co., Kwankwaso’s legal team accused the cleric of making false, malicious, and damaging statements during a sermon that was subsequently circulated across social media platforms and news outlets.
The controversy stems from comments attributed to Primate Ayodele, in which he allegedly described Kwankwaso as “fake” to Peter Obi and claimed that the former Kano State governor had been paid to serve as Obi’s vice-presidential candidate.
According to the legal team, the statements portrayed Kwankwaso as dishonest, insincere, and politically untrustworthy, with the potential to damage his reputation and sow discord within the NDC and among its supporters.
The lawyers demanded an immediate retraction and public apology within 24 hours across all platforms where the statements were published. They also requested a written undertaking from the cleric, assuring that no further defamatory comments would be made against their client.
The letter warned that failure to comply with the demands would leave Kwankwaso with no option but to pursue legal action, seeking ₦10 billion in damages alongside the full cost of litigation.
Primate Ayodele had reportedly cautioned Peter Obi against trusting Kwankwaso, alleging that the latter would eventually undermine Obi’s presidential ambition for personal gain.
As of the time of filing this report, Primate Ayodele had not publicly responded to the legal notice.
