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.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the businessman obtained the APC expression of interest and nomination forms to contest the Orsu/Orlu/Oru East Federal Constituency 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.

Do or die

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.

Nigerians react to Cubana Chief Priest’s loss

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.

Below are some of the comments.

Wait… are you seriously saying only Cubana Chief Priest’s family voted for him? Because how does someone who once boasted about mobilizing 1 million votes for Tinubu end up with just 14 votes?

The same Cubana Chief Priest who said he would “teach Peter Obi politics”… Out… pic.twitter.com/5lOf8hjWHq

— Ebun (@kenkenlewu) May 17, 2026

It was obviously clear that Cubana Chief Priest wasn’t going to get the APC House of Representatives ticket when the incumbent lawmaker, Omeogo is still very active in politics

This’s a clear warning for CP to know that the people he currently teamed up with doesn’t have his… pic.twitter.com/iYgt8nG2cP

— Nnayi◽ (@NnayiLexon) May 16, 2026

“I’m a hustler, and I didn’t regret trying to contest for a position. My only regret was trusting the elders in the community. I know how much I gave them, but only 14 people voted for me in the primary”

— Cubana Chiefpriest pic.twitter.com/YzlH6spJUC

— (@kellybonito_BU) May 16, 2026

Don’t laugh at him if u haven’t contested for any political position before. Because I was a former councilor of my ward . A town with one ward u know what that means. So make una no laugh the young man

— CHIGOZIE (@Obiigbo2) May 17, 2026

You’re supposed to know the political structure in your community before sharing money.
Without following those structure, if you like give people bulky money, they don’t care when it comes to party stakeholders who are responsible for the primary election.
Politics is a…

— Dkardinal (@realdkardinal) May 17, 2026

People really need to learn the difference between an audience and a structure. Viral noise doesn’t translate to real loyalty when it’s time to vote or buy.

If you don’t build a solid foundation on the ground, you’re just renting temporary attention. Hype looks great in…

— FavouredOne (@favouronokpite1) May 17, 2026

Nigerians react as Cubana Chief Priest loses APC Reps primary

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