The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has criticized the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for what they describe as repeated injustices against the South East region. Citing the mistreatment of the region regarding the position of national secretary and the failure to zone the 2023 presidential ticket to the South East, COSEYL has urged PDP leaders in the region to seek political alliances outside the party ahead of the 2027 general election, asserting that the South East has no future in the PDP.

COSEYL’s President-General, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, issued a statement titled “PDP has Used and Dumped the South East: Time To Dump the Party,” expressing the group’s position. The statement highlighted instances where the South East has supported the PDP, only to be disregarded:

• In 1999, the South East gave PDP and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo 3.2 million votes (78%) despite Dr. Alex Ekwueme being “thrown under the bus” at the Jos convention.
• In 2003, the region gave 4.5 million votes to PDP for Obasanjo’s re-election, even with Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu on the ballot.
• The South East continued to vote massively for PDP, even when other states defected to the APC in 2015.

COSEYL views the PDP’s current challenges as “karma” for failing to zone the 2023 presidential ticket to the South East, which led to the departure of figures like Peter Obi and Dave Umahi and resulted in electoral losses. The group insists that the South East should pursue a new political path for the region’s dignity, political redemption, and development.

However, it is worth noting that COSEYL has also expressed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, with plans to organize a rally in Abia State with an estimated 5 million participants from across the South East to endorse them ahead of the 2027 elections.