Businessman Diogo Cunha Lima was announced on Monday, April 27, as the pre-candidate for vice governor on Cícero Lucena’s ticket for the 2026 race in Paraíba, at a party event in Campina Grande. Lucena, who resigned as mayor of João Pessoa in early April to run for governor, used the event to broaden his campaign with a name tied closely to one of the state’s best-known political families.
Cunha Lima is the son of former senator Cássio Cunha Lima and the grandson of former governor Ronaldo Cunha Lima. He said this was the first time he had sought elected office, telling supporters that he believed in the right time for things to happen, felt prepared to contribute more, and wanted to bring the experience he had gained in the private sector into public life. “Estou pronto e querendo trabalhar,” he said.
The announcement also carried a strong historical echo. Lucena was vice governor under Ronaldo Cunha Lima from 1991 to 1994, and he framed Diogo Cunha Lima as more than a running mate, calling him a “segundo governador.” That choice linked the new ticket directly to the Cunha Lima name at the moment Lucena is trying to build momentum for the 2026 gubernatorial contest.
The event in Campina Grande did not stop with the vice-governor announcement. Former deputies Buba Germano and Gilmar Germano, along with former Esperança mayor Nobinho Almeida, also said they were backing Lucena on Monday. Lucena said the widening support showed the project was growing with the arrival of leaders with commitment and a record of work.
The timing matters because Lucena is still reassembling his political base after leaving City Hall in early April, when his resignation made Léo Bezerra acting head of João Pessoa’s executive branch until the end of 2028. Bringing Cunha Lima onto the ticket now gives the campaign an established political surname, a new face and a clearer shape as Paraíba moves deeper into the run-up to 2026.
