The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Mariya Mahmud, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will hand over power to another candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after his tenure.
Mahmud made the declaration on Monday in Kano while speaking at the launch of the City Boy Movement (CBM), a political support group working to mobilise young Nigerians and women for Tinubu’s re-election.
The minister told supporters at the event that there was no political opening at the Presidential Villa for opposition parties until 2031.
“There is no vacancy in the Villa till 2031,” Mahmud said.
Mahmud said the City Boy Movement would play an important role in taking the message of the Tinubu administration to communities across the country.
She said the movement’s focus on young people was particularly important because of Nigeria’s large youth population.
“The population of youth in Nigeria is about 60 to 70 percent. If you want to achieve anything and you leave the capable youth behind, you cannot succeed. That is why this movement has gathered to bring everybody together, to tell people about the policy of His Excellency, Mr. President,” she said.
The minister also pointed to some of the policies and programmes introduced under Tinubu as reasons the administration should be given more time.
She mentioned developments in the Federal Capital Territory and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which provides loans to eligible students, among initiatives she said would form part of the administration’s record before voters.
Mahmud maintained that the government’s performance would eventually speak for itself when Nigerians return to the polls.
Her comment came as the CBM stepped up its preparations for a wider political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general election.
The movement has set an ambitious target of building a 10 million-member structure nationwide.
Its leaders say the target will require sustained engagement at the grassroots rather than relying mainly on social media campaigns.
The Director-General of the City Boy Movement, Francis Oluwatosin Shoga, told the gathering that members must take the organisation’s message directly to Nigerians in their communities.
“Our objective is 10 million members. If we are able to have 10 million members, we can decide the future of this country,” he said.
Shoga urged members to return to their various communities and build support through direct engagement.
He identified markets, schools, universities and other community spaces as areas where the movement could expand its reach.
According to him, the organisation wants to create a structure that can continue to mobilise young Nigerians around Tinubu’s “renewed Hope Agenda” while also preparing them for greater participation in politics and governance.
The CBM has previously announced plans to mobilise 10 million votes for Tinubu in the 2027 election.
At its national retreat in Abuja in July, the organisation said its target would be achieved through stronger ward-level structures and sustained grassroots engagement.
The movement’s activities have also received backing from senior figures within the administration and members of Tinubu’s political circle.
At the July retreat, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, urged members of the group to communicate government policies responsibly and remain connected to Nigerians who are dealing with the effects of the administration’s reforms.
For Mahmud, however, the immediate task remains securing another four years for Tinubu.
She also praised the involvement of women in the City Boy Movement and said their participation would be important to the APC’s political mobilisation.
The Kano chapter of the movement also presented its own membership figures at Monday’s event.
The state coordinator and APC House of Representatives candidate for Tarauni Constituency, Nasir Bala Ja’oJi, disclosed that 189,111 people had already been registered under the movement in Kano.
He described the figure as evidence of the state’s strong position in the organisation’s membership drive.
Ja’oJi called for the development of stronger leadership structures across the state and urged members to increase mobilisation at the local government level.
“Our objective must be clear, to build a strong, united, disciplined and effective grassroots structure, capable of delivering the objectives of the City Boy Movement and contributing meaningfully to the political development of our communities and our great country,” he said.
Muhammad Jamo Yusuf, a member of the CBM National Working Committee, also commended the mobilisation effort.
He said the APC recognised the importance of initiatives that could strengthen support for the administration at the grassroots.
Yusuf highlighted some of Tinubu’s economic reforms, including the liberalisation of the oil sector, and argued that such policies required continuity.
COURTESY: PoliticsNigeria
