‘Forget the Long Route’: Cubana Chief Priest Says Seyi Is Igbos’ Gateway to Tinubu

Nigerian businessman and socialite Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has reportedly offered what may be the most straightforward political strategy yet for the 2027 election: get close to Seyi Tinubu and, apparently, the route to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu becomes considerably shorter.

In the statement supplied to OGM News NG, Chief Priest declared, “We Igbos now have access to Mr. President Tinubu through his son, Seyi Tinubu. That’s why we’re doing everything to make sure he’s re-elected,” while insisting that Ndi Imo do not merely support the City Boys Movement but “believe in it.” The statement comes amid his well-documented role as Imo State Director of the pro-Tinubu City Boys Movement and his increasingly vocal campaign for the President’s second-term bid.

The Seyi Shortcut to Aso Rock?

Chief Priest’s political arithmetic appears remarkably simple: if direct access is valuable, then having a relationship with the President’s son could be presented as a strategic bridge between South-East interests and the Presidency. In February, he publicly urged Igbos to support Tinubu, arguing that political alignment could give the South-East greater leverage rather than leaving the region outside the governing circle.

The City Boys Movement has subsequently remained central to that strategy, with Chief Priest serving as its Imo coordinator. The movement’s activities in the South-East have included political mobilisation and empowerment efforts involving Seyi Tinubu. One such empowerment programme in Owerri attracted attention after crowds scrambled for distributed items, turning the supposedly orderly exercise into something considerably more energetic than the organisers may have planned.

From Political Conversion to Campaign Convoy

Chief Priest’s commitment has also moved beyond speeches and social-media declarations. In June, he unveiled campaign-branded luxury vehicles featuring imagery associated with President Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Seyi Tinubu and the City Boys Movement, describing the campaign as a movement rather than merely a political trend.

Yet Nigerian politics has already reminded Chief Priest that access to influential circles does not automatically translate into electoral victory. His attempt to secure the APC ticket for the Orsu/Orlu/Oru East Federal Constituency ended in controversy, with reports saying he lost the primary, while Chief Priest later insisted that he had withdrawn before the exercise. Seyi Tinubu nevertheless sent him a message of encouragement afterwards, telling him that losing one battle could provide another route to winning the war.

For now, the bigger political question is whether the “access through Seyi” strategy will convince enough voters that proximity to power can deliver tangible benefits to the South-East. Chief Priest has certainly made his position clear, but Nigerian voters remain free to decide whether political access, campaign machinery and celebrity influence deserve their votes. OGM News NG will continue watching the evolving City Boys-Tinubu-South-East political equation, because if Nigerian politics has taught observers anything, it is that today’s political shortcut can become tomorrow’s unexpected plot twist.