The outcome of the APC primary election in Imo State has generated heated discussions online, with many users dissecting Cubana Chief Priest’s political approach.
Socialite and businessman Pascal “Cubana Chief Priest” Okechukwu has failed to secure the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the Imo State House of Representatives seat.
Cubana Chief Priest lost the ticket to the incumbent lawmaker, Canice Nwachukwu, during the primary election held on Saturday ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Mr Nwachukwu is seeking a second term in office after being elected in 2023.
According to Punch newspaper, the party conducted the primaries across the state’s 10 federal constituencies using the Option A4 voting system.
Cubana Chief Priest served as the Imo State Director of the City Boy Movement (CBM), a youth-driven support group established in 2022 to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
The businessman, who organised and supported campaigns for Mr Tinubu across different parts of Nigeria, particularly in the South-east, ahead of the forthcoming presidential election, also visited President Tinubu’s son, Seyi, after obtaining his nomination forms.
He described the meeting as part of his consultations and efforts to secure political backing.
As of press time, Cubana Chief Priest hasn’t reacted publicly to the loss of the party’s ticket.
Earlier, this newspaper gathered that Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma cautioned party members against adopting a “do-or-die” approach ahead of the primaries.
He stressed during a stakeholders’ meeting with aspirants and party leaders in the state that the process must remain peaceful, transparent and guided by the overall interest of the party.
At the meeting, participants harmonised strategies and addressed key issues necessary for the successful conduct of the exercise.
Mr Uzodimma reminded aspirants that only one candidate would ultimately emerge for each position and urged party members to support the victorious candidate.
In a statement posted on his X page on Friday, the governor also reiterated that zoning remained an important mechanism for ensuring fairness, inclusiveness and genuine democratic representation.
“It is, therefore, in the best interest of all stakeholders that we respect and abide by the zoning arrangement in our various constituencies, as it gives every group a sense of belonging and strengthens unity within the party.
“Consequently, I advised aspirants whose ambitions run contrary to the established zoning framework to respect the arrangement in the collective interest of peace, equity, and party cohesion”, Mr Uzodimma said.
Meanwhile, Mr Okechukwu’s defeat sparked widespread reactions on social media, with many users alleging that Seyi and others he trusted had betrayed him.
Others argued that Cubana Chief Priest failed to properly understand the political structure within his community before allegedly distributing money to party delegates.
