The Ogun State Coordinator of the City Boy Movement, Aderinsola Abiola, has denied allegations that crowds were paid to attend a recent event, clarifying that the gathering was an inauguration ceremony, not a political rally.
Abiola, who also serves as Director-General of the CLTC and a former Senior Special Adviser to the President on Citizenship and Leadership, responded to critics who accused the group of busing in paid attendees. She described the allegation as a misreading of the event's purpose.
Inauguration Across All 236 Wards
According to Abiola, the movement has built a political structure covering every one of the 236 wards in Ogun State, along with the polling units within them. The event in question was the formal swearing-in of executive members at the state, senatorial district, local government area, and ward levels.
"This is very funny because this wasn't even conceived as a rally," Abiola wrote in her response. "What we did was to inaugurate excos of the City Boy Movement at the State, Senatorial District, LGA and ward levels across Ogun state."
The movement also activated its women, student, and persons with disabilities wings, whose members participated in the inauguration. Abiola stressed that no rally had taken place yet, meaning the event critics pointed to was only the beginning of the movement's public activity.
Coordinator Addresses Critics Directly
Abiola was direct in her response to those who raised the allegations. She said the movement had spent considerable time and effort building its structure at the grassroots level, and that the turnout at the inauguration reflected genuine organisation, not hired attendance.
"As the state coordinator, I can authoritatively say that we've painstakingly built a structure that spans ALL the 236 wards in the state and the polling units within them," she said. "You can't seriously be mad at people being better organised than you. Up your game or stop playing."
The City Boy Movement is linked to the @CityBoyMedia platform and has been expanding its organisational footprint ahead of the 2027 general elections. The movement's activities in Ogun State are part of a broader effort to establish a political presence across Nigeria, with the recent inauguration marking a significant step in its grassroots mobilisation strategy.
