The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has called on young people in the South-East to boycott the planned City Boy Movement rally scheduled to hold in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
In a statement jointly signed by its President, Comrade Igboyaka O. Igboyaka, and Secretary-General, Comrade Ifeanyi Nweke, the group described the rally as an affront to the sensibilities of Igbo youths.
The rally, billed for March 13 and 14, is expected to welcome Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to Owerri.
According to the council, the event is inappropriate at a time when Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), remains in detention.
The group said the continued incarceration of Kanu by the federal government has generated deep resentment among many youths in the region.
It urged Igbo youths and supporters across the South-East to shun the rally and demonstrate solidarity with Kanu.
The council also appealed to traders and transport operators to refrain from participating in activities connected to the event, describing the proposed gathering as politically insensitive.
Ohanaeze Youth Council further alleged that some individuals promoting the rally had underestimated the depth of feeling among Ndigbo regarding Kanu’s detention.
It cited public figures such as Seyi Tinubu, Obinna Iyiegbu (popularly known as Obi Cubana), and Pascal Okechukwu (Cubana Chief Priest) among those associated with the event.
The group said rejecting the rally would serve as a symbolic protest against what it called perceived injustice toward the South-East.
It also criticised the federal government’s handling of security and economic challenges in the country, arguing that many youths are grappling with unemployment, poverty and hardship.
The council maintained that boycotting the rally would send a clear political message ahead of the 2027 general elections.
