2027: APC Youth Crisis Deepens Over Alleged Seyi Tinubu Move Against Dayo Israel

The internal crisis within the youth wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has deepened ahead of the 2027 general election following allegations that funds were released to state youth leaders to mobilise against the party’s National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, and weaken his control of the party’s youth structure.

The allegation emerged from internal exchanges involving party youth leaders and Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu and founder of the City Boy Movement, in which a participant claimed that money had been released to state youth leaders to build support for a youth mobilisation structure operating independently of Israel’s leadership.

According to the account contained in the exchanges, senatorial youth leaders had signed a message expressing support for Israel the previous week. The participant subsequently alleged that funds were released to state youth leaders across the country to mobilise them and convene meetings aimed at consolidating an alternative structure within the party.

The exchanges have brought to the fore the growing struggle for influence over the APC’s youth mobilisation machinery as political actors position themselves ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

However, the allegations concerning the release of funds and the alleged effort to undermine Israel’s leadership have not been independently verified.

The exchanges also exposed discontent within the party’s youth structure, with an official reportedly complaining that he had been sidelined despite being elected to serve in a leadership capacity.

The official was said to have lamented that he had no meaningful responsibilities, describing himself as merely a deputy director whose only available assignment involved activities on WhatsApp.

Rather than address his concerns directly, other participants reportedly responded with mockery and rebukes, with one questioning his expectations and another using an insulting expression.

The exchanges have added another dimension to the disagreement over the control of the party’s youth mobilisation structure, with rival political networks increasingly emerging as competing centres of influence.

The dispute comes against the backdrop of a campaign appointment that placed Israel, the party’s elected National Youth Leader, in a subordinate position within the youth directorate of President Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

On October 20, 2026, the PBAT/APC 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, in a statement signed by its secretary, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, appointed the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, as Director of Youth Mobilisation, with Israel named as his deputy.

The appointment effectively placed the party’s National Youth Leader under a serving minister in the campaign’s youth mobilisation hierarchy, a development that has heightened concerns among Israel’s supporters about his standing and influence within the party.

His loyalists have reportedly interpreted the arrangement as part of a broader pattern of marginalisation, arguing that Israel has not been given the resources and authority they believe should accompany his position as the party’s national youth leader.

Olawande heads the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, while Israel’s supporters contend that the National Youth Leader has been left with limited resources and influence over decisions concerning youth mobilisation.

They have also pointed to the growing political influence of Seyi Tinubu, who holds neither an elected APC party office nor a federal government appointment but has established a nationwide mobilisation network through the City Boy Movement.

The disagreement has increasingly centred on two youth mobilisation platforms: the City Boy Movement, founded by Seyi Tinubu, and the Mummy’s Men Movement, convened by Israel and described by him as inspired by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.

Within the rival camps, Israel has reportedly faced accusations of being envious of the City Boy Movement, while some supporters of Seyi Tinubu view the Mummy’s Men Movement as a competing platform seeking to counter the influence of the president’s son.

Multiple sources within the two camps also claimed that loyalists were being encouraged to abandon Israel and align with Seyi Tinubu, further deepening suspicions over the direction of the party’s youth mobilisation ahead of the next general election.

A source within Israel’s camp alleged that the president’s son was seeking to exercise control over the party’s youth leadership in a manner the source likened to his alleged influence over the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.

The source, who requested anonymity, said Israel was determined to prevent the party’s youth structure from becoming an appendage of Seyi Tinubu’s political network.

According to the source, the National Youth Leader was determined to preserve the independence of the party’s elected youth leadership and ensure that its mobilisation activities remained accountable to the party’s established structure.

However, other party members familiar with the dispute have defended Seyi Tinubu, emphasising their loyalty to the president and his family rather than directly addressing the allegations concerning funding and control of the APC’s youth structure.

The competing positions underscore the political sensitivities surrounding youth mobilisation within the ruling party, particularly as various groups seek to establish their relevance in the build-up to the 2027 election.

Amid the controversy, Israel took to Facebook on Tuesday to acknowledge the support he said he had received from members of the party’s youth leadership, including officials from the national, zonal, state and senatorial levels.

In the post, he expressed appreciation to the Deputy National Youth Leader, zonal youth leaders, deputy state youth leaders and senatorial youth leaders for their confidence in him.

“Most grateful to the Deputy National Youth Leader, the Zonal Youth Leaders, Deputy State Youth Leaders and Senatorial Youth Leaders for their confidence in me,” Israel said.

He maintained that his administration had remained committed to empowering young Nigerians and strengthening engagement between the youth and the government.

“My administration has always been to inspire a new generation -to empower tomorrow and to be a bridge between the youth of the country and the government. We have not failed that assignment or mandate,” he said.

Responding to what he described as attempts to undermine his leadership, Israel declared that he remained undeterred by the alleged opposition against him.

“Irrespective of the lies and gang up – Ko Gezau: No Shaking. Our records are there, unprecedented. Never before in the history of any political party in Nigeria,” he said.

He concluded his post with a further declaration of resolve, writing: “Unmoved. Unshaken. Unmovable always abounding in good works! Ko Gezau!”
(Business Insider)