Ahead of the 2027 general elections, several celebrities and socialites are publicly aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second term.
President Tinubu already has most of the governors in his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
We recall that prior to the 2023 presidential election, the former Governor of Lagos State received similar overwhelming support from people in the entertainment and sport industries.
Many celebrities, the likes of Seyi Law, Eniola Badmus, Toyin Abraham, Olaiye Igwe and Lege Miami all threw their weights behind him.
As countdown to the 2027 presidential election begins, socialites and celebrities, including Obinna Iyiegbu, aka Obi Cubana, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, Cletus Oragwa, also known as Zenco, Yul Edochie, Emmanuel Philip, Bolanle Ninilowo, Zack Orji, Adeniyi Johnson and of course, Seyi Law, have publicly declared their supports for Tinubu.
They have all united under the City Boys Movement, rallying support for Tinubu.
We reported that City Boys Movement is a political association championed by Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Already, Obi Cubana has been made the South-East Zonal Coordinator of the City Boys Movement, with others emerging in different zones, states, local governments and wards, with a clear political responsibility- to mobilise young Igbo entrepreneurs who believe in the Tinubu project, galvanise their support, and encourage them to align strategically behind President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Some people feel that the socialites, especially those from the Igbo speaking areas of South East are betraying their own in the person of Peter Obi, who has indicated interest in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking to DAILY POST on how the President has succeeded in drawing big men to himself, Comrade Engr Dr Eragbe Anslem Aphimia, National Youth Leader of the Labour Party, LP, said that Tinubu understands something about people and their needs and is “good at cultivating people in line with his own aspirations, desires and want.”
“2027 general elections are here already and President Tinubu has gone ahead to infiltrate almost all sectors of our human endeavors: security, INEC, political parties, government across states, legislatures, judiciary, entertainment etc, bringing people from different sectors into believing in his 2027 presidential realization and mobilizing them to that effect.
“Nigeria is tilting towards near one-party-state because President Tinubu understands something that most politicians do not understand.
“PBAT was the most formidable opposition leader in Nigeria from 1999 – 2023 before he became President of Nigeria.
“He led the most formidable opposition against incumbent presidents and also saw to it that a sitting president was defeated at the polls. He came to power by that same scheme which many people did not understand and may not understand till after the 2027 general elections.
“Certainly, influencers have also been mobilized for action ahead of time. And that alone is a major pointer to shaping narratives for the general elections ahead of 2027. Discussions, however negative, will dominate the airwaves to keep PBAT on the front burner of mobilization of human and material resources,” he stated.
Also speaking to DAILY POST, a chieftain of the APC, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said the main question should be what is the motive of the formation of the City Boys Movement before discussing how impactful it would be in the next election.
The APC chieftain believes the movement is against the Nigerian masses who have been punished by the Tinubu administration with poverty, hunger and insecurity.
Eze said, “To answer the question on how far this movement can go, the most I can say is that this is a movement against the masses of Nigeria who are being punished with poverty, insecurity and hunger by the evil policies of President Tinubu.
“With the coming of the Village Boy Movement, I am convinced that whatever agenda that the City Boys Movement will come up with will surely be checked and curtailed.”
He went on to explain the motive behind the formation of the City Boys Movement:
“From my findings this was a movement founded by some young men, suited, confident, well-funded by Seyi, the son of President Tinubu, to promote the re-election of his father.
“This movement has emerged as grassroots engagement vehicles designed to recruit, sensitize and retain political loyalists nationwide.
“These structures are not merely symbolic; they are built to onboard citizens, digitally and physically, into the president’s development vision, effectively converting governance messaging into political capital.
“From my observation, what makes this machinery potent is its multi-layered funding and influence on architecture. State-aligned politicians defend federal policies locally.
“However, if Renewed Hope is the ideological umbrella, the foot soldiers of that umbrella are movements like the City Boy structure, arguably one of the most organized youth-driven political mobilization in contemporary Nigerian politics.
“The City Boy Movement did not begin as an afterthought. It was formed in 2022 as a youth advocacy and mobilization platform supporting Tinubu’s presidential ambition, deploying national executives, state leaders, local coordinators, and ward canvassers across the country.
“I have watched its expansion since the elections, and what stands out is its refusal to dissolve after victory. Instead, it institutionalized itself.
“Today, the movement operates across all 774 local governments, focusing on political education, grassroots engagement, and policy advocacy tied to the Renewed Hope agenda. That kind of structure is not built for celebration; it is built for continuity, and ultimately, for 2027.
“Even more revealing is its patronage and elite backing, which exposes deeper political financing layers. The grand patron of the movement is Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son and a businessman with strong corporate and youth engagement networks.
“His involvement symbolizes how political succession, youth mobilization and elite financing intersect within the same movement.
“Beyond symbolism, financial empowerment programmes, grants, and youth interventions tied to the movement and its allies have been deployed in several states, blending political loyalty with socio-economic incentives.
“When empowerment meets political branding, what you get is not just supporters; you get beneficiaries with electoral memory.”
Also speaking to DAILY POST, Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, a public affairs analyst, Convener Reset Lagos PDP, member PDP National Presidential Campaign Council, 2023, and member, Board of Governors, Peoples Democratic Institute, PDI, noted that President Tinubu has never hidden the fact that his government is one which caters to the interest of the privileged class.
“If Cubana and the City Boy Movement want to entrench themselves in the Privileged class it only makes sense for them to associate themselves with Tinubu’s campaign.
“Unfortunately for them however, they represent a very small percentage of the voting public- probably 2% of the electorate of the South East geopolitical zone,” Pearse told DAILY POST.
“It is difficult to see how their celebrity status will convince the hungry and unemployed citizens of Nigeria to vote for the reelection of Tinubu, who in his first term as President has made life worse for them than ever before.
“Tinubu has deepened their poverty, increased the rate of unemployment, increased the cost of living beyond affordability, and made their life unsafe.
“The general public in Igboland would rather listen to Nnamdi Kanu than to Cubana and his City Boys Movement, knowing that Kanu has always stood for the common man, while Cubana and co are only interested in what they can benefit and how they can protect their wealth.
“Entertainers are paid to entertain, not to lecture on life’s choices.
“Cubana and members of the City Boy Movement will draw a crowd when they come out to campaign for Tinubu, especially if they accompany their presentation with bags of rice and such palliatives.
“Remember the actress whom Lagos State PDP fielded as Deputy Governorship candidate in the 2023 election. She boasted of 15 million followers on Facebook. At the election, she didn’t have 15 thousand votes,” he added.
DAILY POST reports that President Tinubu has gone beyond harvesting the socialites, influencers and entertainers. Almost all the governors have lined up in support of his re-election.
The APC has strengthened its foothold with the defection of state governors elected on the platform of the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, thereby reshaping the political landscape as the country heads towards the 2027 general elections.
We recall that Umo Eno, Akwa Ibom State governor, and Sheriff Oborevwori, Delta State governor, moved from the PDP to the APC earlier in the year.
Duoye Diri, Bayelsa State governor, and Peter Mbah, Enugu State governor, as well as many other former PDP members, have all moved to the APC.
Rumours also have it that Taraba State governor, Agbu Kefas, is planning his defection to the ruling party, bringing the tally to 30 state governors backing President Tinubu.