CITY BOY MOVEMENT INAUGURATES EKITI CHAPTER, TARGETS 200,000 MEMBERS, 700,000 VOTES FOR TINUBU

By Joseph Sunday

Ado-Ekiti — The City Boy Movement on Thursday inaugurated its Ekiti State executive council, held a town hall meeting and street engagement, and unveiled its state secretariat in Ado-Ekiti.

The event, themed “Leaving No One Behind,” was attended by national and state leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), government officials and hundreds of grassroots coordinators from across the state.

Speaking at the event, the National Director-General of the movement, Hon. Francis Shoga, said the group is building structures nationwide to create greater opportunities for young Nigerians to participate actively in politics and governance.

Shoga commended the Ekiti State Government for its support, describing members of the movement as participants in a historic effort to make youths active stakeholders in the political process.

“We are setting up structures everywhere. We must be involved, we must inspire, and that’s how power comes to young people. I charge you to move from structure to action, from meeting to the field. The grassroots is our next frontier,” he said.

He disclosed that the movement’s national target is to build 10 million genuine members with Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) capable of delivering 10 million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

“The 10 million membership target is not bogus. We are building a network of Nigerian youth. We have engaged across the 36 states of the federation. As long as you are on the sidelines and not involved, there is no way the youth of Nigeria can move forward,” Shoga said.

According to him, young people can no longer afford to remain on the sidelines, adding that the present administration has created opportunities for youth inclusion.

The Ekiti State Director-General of the movement, Femi Kasali, said the group, which commenced activities in February, has built a formidable grassroots structure across the 16 local government areas, 177 wards and 2,445 polling units in the state.

Kasali said 177 ward coordinators and 177 women coordinators, totalling 354 coordinators, attended the inauguration, with a coordinator and two canvassers with PVCs in each of the 2,445 polling units.

He explained that the strategy is not to focus on APC members, but to target undecided voters, newly registered voters who turned 18 after the last election, and lukewarm voters, including bankers, lecturers and civil servants who rarely vote.

He announced a membership drive targeting 200,000 registered members on the national City Boy Movement platform by October 31, 2026 — at least 1,000 members per ward.

Kasali thanked the national leadership of the movement led by the National DG, the Grand Patron, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and Patron, Seyi Tinubu, for inspiring youth participation. He also thanked Governor Biodun Oyebanji, whom he described as the first governor in Nigeria to welcome the City Boy Movement to Government House.

In his remarks, the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, urged members to mobilise for President Tinubu and all APC candidates, stressing that elections are won at polling units and not on social media. He defended the Tinubu administration’s reforms, saying “without pain, there is no gain” and that the gains would soon become evident.

The APC Chairman in Ekiti State, Barr. Sola Elesin, pledged maximum cooperation from the party and charged members to adopt door-to-door evangelism. He reiterated the state’s target of delivering 700,000 votes for President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election and being the first state to announce results, as it did in 2023.

Also speaking, the South-West Zonal Director-General of the City Boy Movement, Hon. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala, said grassroots engagement remains the key to surpassing the 700,000-vote target.

“Everything is grassroots. The best way to get this done is by going door-to-door, knocking on doors and talking to people one-on-one. Tell them about the good works of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, what he has done and what he plans to do,” Alao-Akala said.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement and DG of the Students Arm of the City Boy Movement, Sunday Asefon, charged student coordinators to focus on numbers with PVCs, not just large student populations. He listed NELFUND, monthly student stipends and an uninterrupted academic calendar as achievements to campaign with on campuses, warning that empowerment would be for those registered on the City Boy platform.

Delivering the keynote address, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Oyebanji on Research, Mr. Femi Owolabi, spoke on the theme “Leaving No One Behind.” He commended Kasali’s energy in building a youth house and structures across the state, noting that empowerment begins with creating a space where young people belong. He linked inclusion to the Ekiti State anthem’s message of collective action.

Also addressing the City Boys Movement members on Thursday in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, urged members of the City Boy Movement, a support group for President Bola Tinubu to intensify grassroots mobilization following their inauguration in the state. While commending the group’s leadership for its commitment and visible efforts, he said good work attracts more work and charged them to remain humble and go directly to the people in the wards and communities.

Olatunbosun stressed that politics and governance are grassroots-driven, noting that success in assigned areas will translate to collective victory. He said political performance is now measurable through data and social media, and challenged the movement to prove its impact in Ekiti’s electoral target of over 700,000 votes, assuring members that more support from the national leadership would come.

The inauguration was also attended by representatives of the Deputy Governor and the Governor’s wife, members of the State and National Assembly and Directors of the City Boy Movement from Osun and Ondo states.