Former South-East spokesman to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Denge Josef Onoh, has warned businessman and socialite Paschal Chibuike Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest , to stop his alleged verbal attacks on Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru , or face possible legal action.
Onoh, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, said social media popularity, wealth and youthful exuberance did not place anyone above the law or give anyone the right to denigrate state institutions and their leaders.
He urged Okechukwu to restrain his utterances, warning that continued attacks could expose him to civil and criminal proceedings.
Onoh said the growing trend of what he described as digital misbehaviour had created a false impression among some social media personalities that online fame offered protection from legal consequences.
He said, “Fame is not immunity. Wealth, social media followership, and influence do not grant a licence to denigrate state institutions or their leaders.”
According to Onoh, Okechukwu’s alleged use of social media to settle personal or political scores amounted to “misguided exuberance” and reflected what he described as a lack of civic responsibility.
He also accused the socialite of crossing the line between free speech and malicious provocation by using online platforms to make what he described as unprovoked attacks against the governor.
Onoh specifically referred to statements allegedly made by Okechukwu on his official Instagram account, arguing that some of the comments could have legal consequences.
He faulted Okechukwu for publicly demanding that Governor Nwifuru “step down” and describing the administration as a “failure” based on what Onoh called unverified metrics.
He argued that such demands bypassed constitutional processes and amounted to malicious falsehood and civil defamation capable of lowering the governor’s reputation in the eyes of the public.
Onoh also alleged that Okechukwu’s claims that Ebonyi leaders were “not wise enough” and “still living in the past” could run afoul of Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes Act, which he said criminalises the transmission of messages known to be false for the purpose of causing insult, injury or ill-will.
He further accused Okechukwu of using alarmist narratives by resharing political rebuttals with captions such as, “Does it warrant me to be dealt with... I’m so scared now. Pray for Cp.”
Onoh said the posts could create the impression that a sitting governor posed a physical threat to the socialite, describing such conduct as incitement capable of provoking hostility and online harassment.
He reminded Okechukwu that the office of the Ebonyi State governor was protected by constitutional safeguards and that attempts to bring the office into disrepute could attract legal consequences.
Onoh cited Section 176(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which provides for the office of governor as the chief executive of a state and vests executive powers in the office.
He argued that an attack on the governor could also be viewed as an attack on the collective dignity of the people represented by the governor.
He further cited Sections 176 and 215(4) of the Constitution, arguing that the governor had a key role in maintaining public order and security and that statements capable of causing disaffection could be legally restricted where necessary to preserve peace.
Onoh also referred to Section 308 of the Constitution, which provides immunity from legal proceedings for a serving governor in respect of certain acts carried out while in office. He maintained, however, that the state government or the individual holding the office could pursue civil remedies in defamation matters and that relevant criminal laws could apply where their requirements were met.
He said the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act provides penalties for certain online messages intended to cause insult, enmity, hatred or ill-will against another person, including fines and imprisonment.
Onoh also cited the Criminal Code Act and Penal Code laws, saying they prohibit intentional insults and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, while defamatory publications capable of exposing public officials to hatred, contempt or ridicule could attract punishment under applicable laws.
On civil liability, Onoh said Okechukwu could face what he described as “multi-billion naira civil lawsuits” over alleged injury to character, loss of reputation and malicious falsehood.
He added that Nigerian courts had awarded substantial damages in cases involving alleged use of digital platforms to damage the reputation of public officers.
Concluding his warning, Onoh said Ebonyi State had a government empowered by law to protect its integrity.
“Ebonyi State is a sub-national sovereign entity with a government fully empowered by law to protect its integrity,” he stated.
“The era of unchecked digital rascality is over. Mr. Pascal Chibuike Okechukwu must understand that the law is no respecter of ‘celebrity’ status. If he continues his unwarranted verbal warfare against the Ebonyi State Governor, he will soon discover that the legal machinery of this country moves slowly but grinds exceedingly fine.”
Onoh advised the socialite to channel his energy into productive ventures rather than expose himself to what he described as avoidable legal consequences.
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