Former Kano State Governor and vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has threatened to institute a ₦10 billion defamation lawsuit against the leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, over comments he described as false and damaging.
Through his legal representatives, Magaji Mato Ibrahim, SAN & Co., Kwankwaso issued a pre-action notice demanding that the cleric retract the statements and publish a public apology within 24 hours.
The legal team accused Primate Ayodele of making defamatory remarks during a church sermon that was livestreamed and widely circulated on social media. Among the statements cited were claims that Kwankwaso was not genuinely loyal to NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi, would eventually betray him, and had allegedly accepted payment to become Obi’s running mate.
According to the lawyers, the remarks were false, malicious, and intended to tarnish Kwankwaso’s reputation while creating disunity within the NDC and among its supporters.
The notice demands a full and unequivocal retraction across all platforms where the allegations were published, along with a written commitment from Primate Ayodele to refrain from making further defamatory statements against the former governor.
The lawyers warned that failure to comply within the stipulated period would leave their client with no option but to commence legal proceedings seeking ₦10 billion in damages, in addition to the full cost of the suit.
As of the time the reports were published, Primate Ayodele had not publicly responded to the legal notice.
