South East Not For Sale: Youth Leaders Vow to Resist Rigging, Vote-Buying
Abuja, October. 30, 2026. Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), has declared zero tolerance for electoral fraud, vote-buying and political intimidation in the South East, saying that any attempt to subvert the will of the people will be firmly resisted.
The group, in a statement jointly signed by its President-General,Mr Goodluck Ibem and Publicity Secretary,Mr Okey Nwaoru on Thursday in Abuja said the South East would no longer tolerate manipulation of the electoral process.
“Anyone contemplating electoral manipulation in the South East should have a rethink,the era of imposing electoral outcomes against the will of the people must end,” the coalition stated.
COSEYL, which described itself as the apex sociopolitical youth group in the zone, said it would defend the integrity of elections in the region with every lawful and democratic means at its disposal.
“We wish to make our position abundantly clear,we shall defend the integrity of elections in the South East with every lawful and democratic means at our disposal.
“The South East is not a political laboratory for electoral fraud, neither is it a territory where desperate political interests can purchase votes, intimidate citizens, manipulate electoral officials or impose predetermined outcomes on the electorate,” it said.
The coalition warned politicians and their collaborators against rigging, voter intimidation or compromise of the electoral process, stressing that such attempts would be resisted through lawful civic action, democratic mobilisation and public accountability.
It said it vehemently rejected vote-buying, ballot manipulation, political intimidation, voter suppression, electoral violence and other practices capable of undermining the credibility of democratic institutions.
“The sanctity of the ballot must be respected,the votes of our people must count, and the outcome of every election must reflect the freely expressed will of the electorate, not the financial muscle of any individual or political establishment,” COSEYL added.
The youth leaders called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to demonstrate absolute neutrality, professionalism, transparency and institutional independence in future elections.
They demanded that INEC ensure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), electronic result-management processes and other electoral technologies were properly tested, fully operational and adequately deployed before election day.
According to the group, there must be no room for avoidable technical failures or administrative negligence that could compromise the credibility of elections.
COSEYL further urged the commission to proactively provide clear information on voter accreditation, electronic transmission of results, collation procedures and protocols for addressing technical failures.
It also called on INEC to ensure seamless collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) without bureaucratic bottlenecks and to maintain strict neutrality towards all political parties and candidates.
“We call for adequate security arrangements to protect voters, electoral officials, observers and other participants from intimidation, harassment and violence.
“Let it be clearly understood that democracy is not a licence for political brigandage, and electoral competition is not a justification for intimidating citizens,” the statement said.
The coalition vowed not to stand idly, while the democratic rights of the people of the South East were undermined, adding that it would remain vigilant and demand accountability.
It called on youths, traditional institutions, religious leaders, civil society organisations and other stakeholders in the zone to remain vigilant and committed to peaceful democratic participation.
“The South East is not for sale,our votes are not commodities,our democracy is not negotiable.
“We shall defend the ballot, we shall defend the voter,we shall defend the electoral process.
” We shall insist that the people’s mandate remains sacred, the era of electoral impunity must end, the will of the people must prevail,” COSEYL said.
