2027: Tinubu’s aide claims CityBoy Movement has support across party lines
By Adegboyega Adeleye
O’tega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Digital and New Media, asserted that the CityBoy Movement has gained significant traction among Nigerian youth and has attracted members from various political affiliations, including opposition parties, as the country approaches the 2027 general election.
Ogra, who also serves as the Deputy Director-General of the CityBoy Movement—a group advocating for Tinubu’s re-election—expressed these sentiments during an interview on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on Thursday. He responded to inquiries regarding the movement’s influence and acceptance among young Nigerians.
When pressed to identify regions or demographics where the movement has struggled for support, Ogra welcomed the inquiry but emphasized that his experience indicates widespread approval among the youth. “If you show me one, I might be able to speak to that. But as far as I know, we have been welcomed by a majority of Nigerian youths,” he stated.
Ogra further claimed that the CityBoy Movement encompasses members from a range of political backgrounds, including those associated with major opposition parties. “We have members from the PDP. We have members from Alhaji Atiku’s own party. We have members that have come from Peter Obi’s party. We have members who belong to Seyi Makinde’s government within our structure,” he said.
In discussing the movement’s appeal to young Nigerians, Ogra suggested that disillusionment with political leaders who fail to deliver on promises and misuse public funds drives the momentum. “Nigerian youths are done with people telling us lies. We are done with people promising one thing and putting government funds into their private enterprises,” he remarked.
Ogra also contended that today’s youth are more equipped to evaluate political leaders, due to better access to information and fact-checking resources. “We’re smarter than whatever was in the 1990s or in the 2000s. We have access to news, we have access to information; we can fact-check,” he stated. He added that the CityBoy Movement aims to “inform, engage, and empower” young Nigerians.
