By Precious Mark
Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Former Kano State Governor and Vice-Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has demanded an immediate retraction and public apology from Primate Elijah Ayodele over alleged defamatory statements made against him, warning that failure to comply could lead to a $1 billion damages suit.
This new update was made known by Saifullahi Hassan, Kwankwaso’s media aide, on Wednesday.
According to him, the demand was contained in a letter dated June 11, 2026, written by Kwankwaso’s legal representatives, Magaji Mato Ibrahim SAN & Co., and addressed to the founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church.
Primate Elijah Ayodele is a Nigerian cleric and the founder of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church.
He is widely known for his public prophecies and political commentaries, which he regularly shares through church services, media interviews and social media platforms, often drawing both national attention and controversy.
In the letter, the legal team accused Primate Ayodele of making false, malicious and derogatory remarks about Kwankwaso during a public address allegedly circulated across social media platforms and other online channels.
The lawyers alleged that the cleric claimed Kwankwaso was “fake to Obi,” would betray Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, and had been paid to serve as Obi’s running mate under the party.
They described the comments as false, baseless and damaging to Kwankwaso’s reputation, noting that he is a former governor, senator, minister and current vice-presidential candidate of the NDC.
“The publication directly and unequivocally refers to our client and attacks his credibility, sincerity of purpose and political integrity,” the letter stated.
The lawyers further argued that the statements were intended to portray Kwankwaso as “deviant, hypocritical, deceitful and insincere,” and to create division within the party and among its supporters.
They demanded that Primate Ayodele, within 24 hours, publish a full retraction and apology across all social media platforms and in reputable local and international media outlets, with the same prominence as the original publication.
The legal team also demanded a written undertaking that the cleric would cease and desist from making or republishing any further defamatory statements against Kwankwaso.
The letter warned that failure to comply would leave Kwankwaso with no option but to initiate legal action.
According to the solicitors, Kwankwaso is seeking $1 billion in damages, in addition to the cost of any legal proceedings that may arise from the matter.
“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 instruction to take out appropriate legal proceedings against you,” the lawyers stated.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Primate Ayodele nor INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church had publicly responded to the allegations.