Former Kano State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has threatened to file a N10 billion defamation lawsuit against Primate Elijah Ayodele over remarks he described as false, malicious, and damaging to his reputation.
The legal threat was conveyed in a letter issued by Kwankwaso’s lawyers, who accused the leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church of making defamatory statements capable of undermining their client’s image, credibility, and standing within the NDC and among his supporters.
The letter, dated June 11, 2026, was signed by Magaji Ibrahim (SAN) of Magaji Mato Ibrahim SAN & Co. on behalf of Kwankwaso and was made public on Wednesday by his media aide, Saifullahi Hassan.
According to the legal team, comments attributed to Ayodele portrayed Kwankwaso in a negative light and sought to damage his political reputation.
The lawyers specifically objected to claims allegedly made by the cleric that Kwankwaso would betray his running mate, Peter Obi, and that he had been financially induced to accept the position of vice-presidential candidate.
“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 stated.
The legal team argued that the comments amounted to a direct attack on Kwankwaso’s integrity, sincerity, and political credibility, insisting that the allegations were entirely baseless.
Consequently, the lawyers demanded a full retraction of the statements and a public apology within 24 hours across all platforms where the comments were published.
They further insisted that the apology be given the same prominence as the original publication and requested a written undertaking from Ayodele, assuring that he would refrain from making or publishing similar statements in the future.
The letter warned that failure to comply with the demands would leave Kwankwaso with no option but to commence legal proceedings seeking N10 billion in damages, in addition to the full cost of litigation.
“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 N10 billion and the cost of the action on a full indemnity basis, among other reliefs,” the lawyers stated.
The dispute is linked to comments reportedly made by Ayodele during a church sermon earlier this month. The remarks were later circulated on social media and reported by several news platforms.
Ayodele was also said to have reiterated his position in a statement issued through his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, in which he reportedly cautioned Peter Obi against relying on Kwankwaso in pursuit of his presidential ambition.
According to the cleric, Kwankwaso was acting in his own political interest and could eventually undermine Obi’s aspirations.
As of the time of filing this report, Ayodele had not publicly responded to the demands contained in the letter.