A leadership dispute within the Abia State Chapter of the City Boy Movement (CBM) escalated on Thursday as the suspended State Organising Secretary, Dr. Charles Ukeagu, defended a peaceful protest by some members and supporters, while the Movement’s leadership insisted that his suspension followed due process.
Speaking after a protest at the Movement’s headquarters in Umuahia, Ukeagu said the demonstrators were exercising their constitutional right to demand what they described as justice and fairness within the organisation.
He explained that he had previously intervened to resolve internal disagreements, warning that certain decisions could weaken the Movement at a time when it should be expanding its membership and mobilising support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
According to Ukeagu, he recently received a six-month suspension, a decision he described as counterproductive, considering his role in building the administrative structure of the organisation and mobilising members across the state.
“Every new member into City Boy is an addition to us. So why are we now bent on wanting to remove people? It doesn’t make sense,” he said.
The suspended Organising Secretary also questioned some leadership decisions, including appointments, internal communication, and administrative processes, alleging that transparency and accountability within the organisation had become major concerns.
He maintained that disagreements should be resolved through dialogue rather than disciplinary measures, insisting that he remained open to reconciliation.
“I am 100 percent willing for reconciliation. Abia State belongs to all of us. Nobody can intimidate one another. Let us give peace a chance,” he stated.
Ukeagu further disclosed that he was aware of the planned protest and encouraged members to exercise their constitutional rights peacefully.
“If you think things are not going the way they are supposed to go in City Boy, Abia State, you are within your right to protest,” he added.
Leading the protesters, Comrade Emeka Kenneth Uche, popularly known as Prince of Igbo and the State Campus Youth Leader of the Movement, appealed to the leadership to reverse Ukeagu’s suspension.
He described the suspended secretary as one of the architects of the City’s Boy Movement structure in Abia and the South-East, saying he had invested personal resources in grassroots mobilisation, meetings, and youth activities.
“We are not here to fight anyone. We are only asking our leaders to reconsider the suspension of Dr. Charles Ukeagu and resolve the matter peacefully,” Uche said.
The protesters also appealed to the Movement’s Patron, Barr. Seyi Tinubu, to intervene and facilitate reconciliation, warning that prolonged internal disagreements could weaken the organisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Reacting on behalf of the State Director, Mayor Lucky Igbokwe (Don Lulu), the Deputy State Director, Hon. Prince Chukwuemeka Osoagbaka, defended the suspension, saying it was carried out in line with the Movement’s constitution and disciplinary procedures.
According to him, a disciplinary committee investigated allegations of insubordination against Ukeagu and recommended his suspension after finding his conduct inconsistent with the organisation’s objectives.
He stressed that the suspension was not an expulsion and that Ukeagu remained a member of the Movement with the right to challenge the decision through established internal mechanisms.
“The process was duly followed. A committee was set up and found his conduct unacceptable. He remains a member of the organisation and can seek redress through the appropriate channels,” Osoagbaka said.
He dismissed reports that other principal officers had also been suspended, describing such claims as false.
The Deputy State Director further accused Ukeagu of taking internal disagreements to the media and mobilising supporters to protest instead of utilising the Movement’s conflict-resolution mechanisms.
Osoagbaka reiterated that the City Boy Movement was established primarily to mobilise grassroots support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and his re-election bid in 2027, urging members to remain disciplined and united.
Despite the exchange of allegations, both parties expressed support for President Tinubu and affirmed their commitment to the objectives of the City Boy Movement.
While Ukeagu called for dialogue and reconciliation, the leadership urged members to respect the organisation’s hierarchy and internal disciplinary procedures.
The protesters eventually dispersed peacefully after presenting their grievances and called on the Movement’s leadership to urgently convene a meeting with all affected stakeholders to resolve the dispute and preserve unity within the organisation.
