He Is Not Our Member – City Boy Movement Disowns US-Convicted Nigerian

The City Boy Movement has dissociated itself from one Adepoju Babatunde Salako, who was convicted of fraud in the United States.

Naija News understands that the convict was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for committing wire fraud through a 2022 Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) fraud scheme.

Speaking on the development, the group, in a statement issued in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Abdullahi, described claims of Salako’s association with the movement as false, misleading, and politically motivated.

Abdullahi insisted that Salako has never been a member or official of the organisation at any level.

The organisation said it became necessary to clarify its position following what it called deliberate attempts to connect Salako with the group in connection with criminal proceedings reportedly instituted against him in the United States.

“Mr. Adepoju Babatunde Salako is not a member of the City Boy Movement and has never held any office, appointment, or official position whatsoever within the structure of the Movement at the national, zonal, state, diaspora, or international level,” the statement said.

The organisation further stressed that Salako was never authorised to function as a coordinator, spokesperson, mobilisation officer, or representative of the movement in the United States or anywhere else.

“The City Boy Movement completely dissociates itself from the said individual and from every publication, insinuation, or narrative attempting to create a false relationship between him and the Movement,” the statement added.

The group alleged that the attempt to associate Salako with the organisation was part of a wider effort aimed at discrediting support groups aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling political bloc.

It noted that earlier media reports surrounding the alleged fraud case and conviction did not mention the City Boy Movement, questioning what it described as the sudden emergence of narratives linking the individual to the organisation.

The movement also pointed to separate reports which allegedly identified Salako as a coordinator of another pro-Tinubu platform known as “Relax, Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria,” arguing that such conflicting claims exposed attempts at indiscriminate political attribution.

While emphasising that it was not seeking to interfere in any legal matter involving Salako, the organisation maintained that every citizen deserved a fair hearing and due process under the law.

However, it insisted that it would not accept efforts to falsely associate the movement with individuals who have no connection to its activities.

“The City Boy Movement cannot and will not accept false attribution, reputational manipulation, or deliberate attempts to create artificial relationships where none exist,” the statement stated.