Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Supporters of Peter Obi, a frontline presidential aspirant of the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Friday unveiled a grassroots political platform known as the Village Boy Movement, positioning it as a counterforce to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s City Boy Movement.
Speaking at the launch, the Convener of the movement, Maazị Tochukwu Ezeoke, who styles himself the National Village Headmaster, described the initiative as a disciplined nationwide organisation founded on the ideals of earned prosperity and service-driven leadership, rather than proximity to power or ostentatious displays of wealth.
Ezeoke said the movement offers what he termed a moral alternative to the “City Boy culture,” which he criticised as a political tendency sustained by access to state resources and the celebration of wealth without corresponding productivity.
“We represent a Nigeria that works before it earns, and earns before it spends,” he declared.
According to him, the Village Boy Movement is guided by three core principles: wealth must follow value; power must follow service; and leadership must be anchored on accountability.
He argued that Nigeria’s political system has, for too long, rewarded closeness to government over innovation, enterprise and integrity.
“This is not hostility toward cities,” Ezeoke clarified. “It is a moral contrast. The issue is not geography, but the source of wealth, the ethics of leadership and the structure of accountability.”
Outlining the movement’s political outlook, Ezeoke cited Peter Obi as an example of what he described as disciplined governance, commending his record in fiscal prudence and transparency while avoiding what he called a personality cult.
“He is not a messiah. Nigeria does not need a saviour figure. Nigeria needs standards,” he said.
The convener also unveiled the group’s motto: “Unbought. Unafraid. Unstoppable,” which he said symbolises resistance to vote-buying, political intimidation and patronage politics.
As part of its early mobilisation strategy, the movement announced plans for a proposed two-million-man march across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in the coming weeks, stressing that the rallies would be peaceful, lawful and funded entirely by volunteers.
“They will be powered by conviction, organised by volunteers and sustained by citizens who are unbought, unafraid and unstoppable,” Ezeoke said.
Beyond mass rallies, he outlined an organisational model focused on building networks “village by village, ward by ward, polling unit by polling unit,” with emphasis on civic education, budget tracking and election integrity.
Ezeoke urged young Nigerians to reject electoral inducements and intimidation, insisting that collective civic discipline could reshape the nation’s political culture.
“If you refuse to sell your vote, you are unbought. If you refuse to be intimidated, you are unafraid. If you organise lawfully and consistently, you are unstoppable,” he said.
He added that the long-term goal of the Village Boy Movement is to shift Nigeria’s politics away from patronage and entitlement toward productivity, accountability and ethical governance.
