Primate Ayodele Denies Defamation Allegation, Says Prophecy Not Targeted At Kwankwaso

Primate Ayodele Denies Defamation Allegation, Says Prophecy Not Targeted at Kwankwaso The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has denied allegations of defamation levelled against him by former Kano State Governor and Vice Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress NDC, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.The controversy follows a legal threat issued by Kwankwaso, who demanded a N10 billion damages lawsuit and a public retraction over alleged statements made by the cleric during a sermon and circulated on social media. Kwankwaso’s legal team accused Ayodele of making remarks suggesting that the former governor was “fake to Obi,” would betray the NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi, and had been paid to become vice president under the party arrangement.The legal notice, dated June 11, 2026, described the statements as false, malicious, and damaging to Kwankwaso’s reputation, and demanded an immediate retraction, apology, and undertaking to stop further publication of similar claims.Reacting through his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Primate Ayodele dismissed the allegations, insisting that his comments were not intended to defame Kwankwaso or any other political figure. He maintained that his statements were prophetic in nature and based on what he described as divine revelations, stressing that they should not be interpreted as personal attacks. According to him, he has no personal relationship or conflict with Kwankwaso and has never met the former governor, adding that his prophecies are not influenced by political bias or sentiment. The cleric further argued that his comments were misunderstood and taken out of context, stating that if clarification had been sought earlier, the issue could have been resolved without escalation to legal threats.He urged individuals mentioned in his prophecies to seek clarification before resorting to lawsuits or public accusations, adding that prophetic messages are often misinterpreted when circulated on social media.

The dispute stems from a sermon in which Ayodele reportedly made political predictions involving Kwankwaso and other Nigerian politicians, which subsequently went viral online and attracted public backlash. Kwankwaso’s lawyers have warned that failure to comply with the demand for retraction and apology within 24 hours could lead to formal legal action seeking substantial damages.While Kwankwaso’s camp maintains that the statements are defamatory and damaging to his political image, Primate Ayodele insists his remarks were prophetic and not intended to harm anyone’s reputation, setting the stage for a potential legal confrontation if the dispute is not resolved.