Primate Elijah Ayodele has issued another warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu amid the ongoing controversy surrounding United States records linked to allegations concerning the Nigerian president.
The cleric claimed that the document at the centre of the controversy is genuine and argued that even a large legal team would struggle to defend its contents.
Ayodele made the remarks in a statement that has circulated online, saying Tinubu should pay attention to the substance of the document rather than rely solely on legal representation.
He reportedly warned: “One million lawyers cannot defend you,” while urging the president to take what he described as the necessary steps concerning the controversy.
Background to the controversy
The issue comes against the backdrop of ongoing litigation in the United States involving requests for records relating to Tinubu.
The Presidency has previously maintained that the US litigation concerns access to government records under the Freedom of Information Act and should not be portrayed as a criminal trial against the Nigerian president.
That distinction is important because the existence or release of government records does not, by itself, establish criminal liability.
Ayodele’s position
Ayodele’s latest intervention is political and prophetic commentary rather than a judicial determination of the authenticity or legal meaning of any document.
His comments have nevertheless added to the public debate surrounding the records and the political implications of the controversy as Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 presidential election.
What remains established
There is an ongoing public dispute over US records relating to Tinubu, but claims concerning what particular documents prove should be treated separately from established judicial findings.
No claim by a political commentator or religious figure should be treated as a court determination unless supported by an official judicial record.