Nwifuru Dismisses Cubana Chief Priest as ‘Noisemaker and Nobody’ After Call to Resign

Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has sharply rebuffed popular socialite and businessman Pascal Okechukwu, better known as Cubana Chief Priest, dismissing him as a “noisemaker and a nobody” in response to the celebrity’s public demand that he step down over alleged lack of development after nearly three years in office.

Speaking at an event in Abakaliki on Sunday, September 13, 2026, the governor made clear he had no interest in engaging the critic. “I don’t have time for Cubana Chief Priest. He’s a noisemaker and a nobody. But if I remember him… I’m sorry for him,” Nwifuru said, according to reports of his remarks. Other accounts of the same comments described the socialite as a “mere attention-seeker and an individual of no consequence,” with the governor adding that he feels sorry for him if the thought even crosses his mind.

The exchange began when Cubana Chief Priest, in a social-media post, questioned how a sitting governor could serve almost three years without major projects commissioned by President Bola Tinubu or fellow governors. He argued that Ebonyi lagged behind other South-East states in development and suggested its leaders were “not wise enough” and stuck in the past, calling on Nwifuru to resign.

The criticism quickly drew a robust defence from the governor’s camp. House of Representatives member Chinedu Ogah, who represents the Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency, condemned the remarks as unacceptable. Ogah insisted Cubana Chief Priest lacked electoral value or political relevance to assess the governor’s performance, noted the socialite’s unsuccessful bid for an APC House of Representatives ticket in Imo State, and demanded an immediate apology or face legal action. The lawmaker also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the celebrity’s finances and accused him of seeking to undermine President Tinubu’s efforts in the South-East.

Cubana Chief Priest has since reacted to the governor’s comments, expressing fear in an Instagram post that the response could signal danger and framing his original criticism as a legitimate call for accountability on projects. He has also been linked in some reports to support for the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the state ahead of the 2027 election.

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Supporters of the administration counter that claims of inactivity are unfounded. Officials and lawmakers point to a range of projects under Nwifuru’s People’s Charter of Needs agenda since he assumed office in May 2023. These include road dualisation and construction works in Abakaliki and across the 13 local government areas, rural concrete roads, bridges in Ezza North and Ivo, completion or upgrade of dozens of primary healthcare centres and general hospitals, scholarship programmes benefiting hundreds of Ebonyi students locally and abroad, school construction and teacher recruitment, and efforts to revive long-abandoned water schemes. The governor himself has cited over 500 kilometres of roads completed and rejected what he called politically motivated online narratives aimed at discrediting his record ahead of 2027.

The war of words underscores rising political tensions in Ebonyi as the 2027 governorship election approaches. Nwifuru, a former Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly who succeeded Dave Umahi, continues to present his tenure as one of tangible delivery, while critics like Cubana Chief Priest insist the state needs more visible high-profile results. The episode has also highlighted the growing role of social-media personalities in Nigerian political discourse and the readiness of elected officials to push back forcefully against them.