Former Kano State Governor and Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has threatened legal action against Primate Babatunde Elijah Ayodele over alleged defamatory statements made against him.
Mr Kwankwaso, through his legal representatives, Magaji Mato Ibrahim SAN & Co., issued a formal demand letter to the cleric, accusing him of publishing false, malicious and damaging allegations capable of tarnishing his reputation and political standing.
In the letter dated June 11, 2026, and signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Magaji Mato Ibrahim, the former governor demanded an immediate retraction and public apology within 24 hours or face a lawsuit seeking N10 billion in damages.
According to the lawyers, the controversial remarks were made by Primate Ayodele during a church service that was recorded and broadcast live to a large audience before being circulated widely across social media platforms and news outlets.
The legal team alleged that the cleric falsely claimed that Mr Kwankwaso was insincere in his relationship with the presidential candidate of the NDC, Peter Obi, and would eventually betray him.
The letter specifically cited statements allegedly made by Ayodele, including claims that “Kwankwaso is fake to Obi,” that “Kwankwaso will betray Obi,” and that “Kwankwaso has been paid to be Vice President to Obi.”
Mr Kwankwaso’s lawyers described the statements as “false, malicious, deliberate and premeditated,” arguing that they were intended to portray their client as dishonest, deceitful and politically untrustworthy.
They maintained that the comments directly attacked Mr Kwankwaso’s credibility, sincerity and integrity as the running mate to Mr Obi in the forthcoming elections.
“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 practitioners further argued that the alleged publication was designed to damage Kwankwaso’s reputation and create division within the NDC and among its supporters.
According to the lawyers, Mr Kwankwaso has built a distinguished political career spanning several decades, serving as Governor of Kano State, Minister of Defence, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Senator and presidential candidate.
They contended that the cleric’s comments were capable of undermining public confidence in the former governor and causing significant reputational harm.
Consequently, the legal team demanded that Mr Ayodele publish a “full, direct and unequivocal retraction and apology” on all platforms where the alleged defamatory remarks were circulated.
The lawyers also requested a written undertaking from the cleric, committing him to refrain from making or republishing any further defamatory statements against Kwankwaso.
The letter warned that failure to comply with the demands within the stipulated 24-hour period would leave their client with no option but to initiate legal proceedings.
“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,” the lawyers stated.
They added that the proposed lawsuit would seek damages amounting to N10 billion as well as the full cost of litigation and other reliefs the court may deem appropriate.
As of the time of filing this report, Primate Ayodele had not publicly responded to the allegations or the legal threat issued by Kwankwaso’s lawyers.
