Cubana Chief Priest had formally declared his intention to contest the Orsu/Orlu/Oru East Federal Constituency seat in late April 2026, purchasing the APC’s expression of interest and nomination forms and making the announcement in a video posted on his Instagram page. He visited the APC state secretariat to notify party leaders, publicly declaring his ambition to represent his constituency in the House of Representatives ahead of the 2027 general elections.

His entry into the race generated significant attention, particularly in the South-East and across social media, with supporters hailing his candidacy as an opportunity for youth inclusion in governance.

However, the APC primary held on Saturday ended in defeat, with Cubana Chief Priest polling just 14 votes and losing the ticket to the incumbent lawmaker, Canice Nwachukwu, who is seeking a second term.

The party conducted its Imo primaries across the state’s 10 federal constituencies using the Option A4 voting system. In an initial video that circulated shortly after the result, Cubana Chief Priest appeared to accept what had happened, expressing defiance while acknowledging the disappointment of the outcome. “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,” he said.

His latest claim that he withdrew before the election and never participated now runs into direct conflict with that earlier admission, the official vote tally in his name and the well-documented trail of his participation from purchasing nomination forms and visiting the APC secretariat to publicly canvassing for delegates. The reversal has drawn further mockery and scrutiny on social media, where many pointed to the contradiction between his two accounts. Some observers noted that the mere 14 votes he received was itself an extraordinary repudiation for a man who had previously boasted of his ability to mobilise one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the South-East.

President Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, who serves as Grand Patron of the City Boy Movement the pro-Tinubu support group of which Cubana Chief Priest is the Imo State Director moved quickly to console his associate after the result. “Bro, sometimes by losing a battle, you find a new way to win the war. Keep your head up. We know what you are capable of achieving,” Seyi wrote on Instagram, in a post Cubana Chief Priest subsequently reposted.

The message was widely read as both personal encouragement and a signal of continued political support despite the primary setback.