Denge Josef Onoh, former spokesman of President Bola Tinubu in the South-East and Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, has recalled his earlier warnings on the organisation of the leadership of the City Boys Movement in the South-East.
Onoh’s comments followed Saturday’s disruption at a City Boys Movement rally in Owerri, where invited youths looted empowerment materials intended for distribution. Initial reports suggest the chaos was triggered by alleged underpayment of transport fares, though some sources claim it may have been a deliberate attempt to sabotage the movement’s leadership in the region.
In a statement issued Sunday, Onoh recalled that on January 26, 2026, he had advised the national leader of the movement, Seyi Tinubu, to exercise caution in structuring the leadership of the group in the South-East. He warned that parallel or uncoordinated structures could threaten party cohesion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Drawing on his experience from the 2023 elections, Onoh stressed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) historically underperforms in the South-East, making unity among party stakeholders critical. He urged that youth mobilisation initiatives complement existing party mechanisms rather than creating competing structures.
He further highlighted that public visibility alone does not equate to effective political mobilisation and commended the involvement of private-sector figures, while cautioning against transactional leadership in the region. “Any city boy or village boy movement not under the firm control of APC governors and party structures is dead on arrival,” Onoh said, warning that misaligned initiatives risked undermining long-term party objectives.
Onoh described the composition of the South-East City Boys Movement as largely transactional, serving individual or business interests rather than the President’s agenda. He added that the region feels increasingly excluded from federal government policies, even more so than during the Buhari administration, which fueled local frustration manifesting in the Owerri incident.
He concluded by urging stakeholders to prioritise cohesion, dialogue, and cooperation with APC governors to ensure the City Boys Movement advances national party objectives instead of collapsing into factionalised or symbolic exercises.
