Socialite and businessman Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has said President Bola Tinubu remains wary of him because of his support for Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential election.

Cubana Chief Priest, who serves as the Imo State Coordinator of the Pro-Tinubu City Boys Movement, stated this during a livestream with popular streamer Peller.

Speaking in a video circulating on Wednesday, the socialite discussed what he described as lingering suspicion from the presidency tied to his ethnic background and previous political alignment.

“President Bola Tinubu no really trust me as an Igbo man that I am. He look me with one eye because he believes that this one that worked for Peter Obi, before at the last election,” Chief Priest stated.

He explained his decision to switch allegiance to Tinubu, citing a desire to back a winning side and avoid repeated political losses.

Asked why he left Peter Obi, he said, “Because I don’t want to lose again because they say first fool no be fool na the second fool be proper fool.”

Chief Priest further dismissed the prospects of Obi in the 2027 presidential election, describing the Nigeria Democratic Party aspirant as “not serious” and asserting that “the serious people will win.”

The comments, which quickly circulated on social media, sparked widespread reactions, with many criticising Chief Priest for alleged political opportunism and questioning his loyalty to the Igbo cause.

Others, however, viewed his remarks as a pragmatic reflection of Nigeria’s winner-takes-all political landscape.

Chief Priest was notably vocal in support of Obi and the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 polls.

He has since aligned with the ruling All Progressives Congress and Tinubu.

He recently purchased an APC primary form for a House of Representatives seat but pulled out on the morning of the election on Saturday.

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Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has been cleared to contest in the presidential primary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general election.

Chairman of the NDC National Screening Committee, Sam Egwu, announced Obi’s clearance in a video shared on the party’s official X account on Wednesday.

The screening exercise was conducted in Abuja on Tuesday.

Egwu said the committee was satisfied that Obi met all constitutional and statutory requirements to contest for the presidency.

“This is to certify that, following the screening of His Excellency Peter Obi by the National Screening Committee of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and having satisfied ourselves that he has complied with all the requirements of the constitution of the party, the Electoral Act, and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), dealing with eligibility to contest the presidential election, and having provided satisfactory answers to all questions put to him by members of the committee, he is hereby cleared to contest in the presidential primaries of the party for the 2027 presidential election on dates to be announced by the party,” Egwu stated.

Reacting via his official X account on Wednesday, Obi said the screening lasted more than two and a half hours, during which members of the committee examined his credentials and questioned him on his vision for Nigeria.

“Yesterday, May 19, in Abuja, I attended the presidential screening organised by our party, which took over two and a half hours. They carefully reviewed all my documents, including my degree certificates, NYSC credentials, and age declarations.

“During the process, I also addressed questions regarding my vision for a new Nigeria and the type of leadership our nation urgently needs right now.

“Following this, I was cleared and received the presidential nomination form I had previously paid for,” he said.

Obi also commended the screening committee and the party leadership for what he described as a credible and transparent process.

“I would like to commend the screening committee, led by former governor Sam Egwu, for their thorough and professional approach. Additionally, I appreciate our party’s leadership for upholding the democratic process,” he added.

The development comes amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election, with opposition parties intensifying consultations and preparations for party primaries and coalition talks.

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Factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has dismissed speculations that reconciliation talks between his camp and Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, collapsed over alleged financial demands, insisting that money was never discussed during the closed-door meeting.

Abure disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH amid a lingering leadership crisis rocking the opposition party.

The development comes barely one month after Otti declared that the Labour Party remained open to reconciliation with Abure and his loyalists ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Abia governor had made the remark during the inaugural meeting of the party’s National Working Committee held at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, where he attended as an observer.

But speaking with our correspondent, Abure clarified that the recent engagement with Otti was strictly convened to explore reconciliation and chart a path toward unity within the party, but eventually ended in a deadlock over disagreements surrounding the control and structure of the party.

According to him, the talks failed because Otti allegedly insisted that the existing party structure be dissolved before any reconciliation could move forward.

He said, “We need to make it categorically clear that the meeting we had with Governor Otti was purely for reconciliation and how to forge ahead. But that meeting produced no headway because the governor refused to give an inch due to his earlier recalcitrant stand.

“First, to share the positions in the NWC. Secondly, to take his governorship ticket and produce all the state House of Assembly candidates, including all the candidates for House of Representatives and Senate in Abia state.

“Lastly, to produce any other governorship, House of Representatives and senatorial candidates in other states where he might have an interest.

“We further conceded the offices of the National Secretary and other key national offices. But with all these sacrifices from the leadership, the governor declined all the proposals and insisted that all positions in the NWC have already been filled by him, while offering us the Vice Chairman and Secretary of the Board of Trustees.”

Abure also rejected allegations that he demanded financial inducement from the governor as part of the reconciliation process, describing the claims as false and deliberate misinformation.

“We also need to make it very clear that a lot of misconceptions have been spreading, probably deliberately, that the leadership of the Labour Party requested huge sums of money from Abia State governor, Dr Alex Otti, to reconcile.

“At no time was the issue of money discussed. Nobody made any financial requests, and nobody offered any money to anyone. We are therefore calling on all party members and supporters to disregard the fake news, whose sources are not too difficult to decipher,” he clarified.

The factional chairman expressed disappointment over the outcome of the reconciliation effort, blaming what he described as Otti’s intransigence for the collapse of the talks.

Abure further stated that his leadership would continue efforts to “recover the party” from what he termed “political buccaneers and merchants” allegedly bent on destabilising the Labour Party.

He also expressed confidence that the lingering leadership dispute would eventually be resolved by the Supreme Court following the appeal filed at the apex court.

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