Tension Eases as Cubana Chief Priest Withdraws Threat to Tinubu Over Nnamdi Kanu

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Nigerian socialite Cubana Chief Priest has walked back his earlier criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after holding an extensive phone conversation with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.

This comes after his strongly worded reaction to the life sentence handed down to IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu. At the time, Chief Priest warned Tinubu that he would “never receive 10,000 votes from the South East in 2027” if Kanu remained jailed. He urged the president to act on the judgment or “be ready to check out of the Villa in 2027.”

Chief Priest later disclosed on Instagram that he woke up to a deleted message from Kalu, which initially made him anxious. Despite this, he insisted he would not be intimidated, declaring that if anyone tried to come after him, “God would embarrass him.” He further asserted that he could one day outperform the Deputy Speaker if he were in the same position.

However, in a follow-up post, Cubana Chief Priest revealed that he had spoken with Kalu for more than 42 minutes. He said the conversation reassured him that the situation surrounding Nnamdi Kanu was not hopeless and that progress could be made now that the matter had moved beyond the courts.

According to him, Nnamdi Kanu “will hopefully gain his freedom” as it is now up to the president to act. He also reversed his earlier claim that Kalu was weak, instead acknowledging him as a “strong man.”

In his message, he wrote:

“I Have Been On Call For Over 42 Mins With The Deputy Speaker & From All He Briefed Me, All Hopes Are Not Lost, MNK Will Get Freedom Hopefully Because It’s Now The President Can Take Action As Matter Don Comort From Court. The Deputy Speaker Is Not A Weak Man, As I Stated Earlier. He is an action man; it’s just that they failed to brief the people on the process of their support to secure MNK’s Release.”

He then appealed directly to the president:

“All Hopes Are Not Yet Lost @officialasiwajubat Your Votes Are Secured… As Long As You Help Us By Letting MNK Come Home To Us To Fix Southeast… Since His Detention, Southeast Has Failed Woefully; We Need to Rise Again.”

Chief Priest also revealed plans to visit Nnamdi Kanu soon with the Deputy Speaker, adding that the conversation had helped him gain access for a one-on-one meeting with the IPOB leader.

His remarks follow previous public interventions, including his plea during the Benue killings urging President Tinubu to ban open grazing nationwide due to the destruction it caused.

In May, he also met President Tinubu, sharing a video of their interaction and expressing strong support for him. Addressing criticism for kneeling before the president, he dismissed the backlash, saying his detractors were simply envious. He maintained that he understood “the game” better and that people who pretend to love others often end up losing.

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