The Union of Igbo Youths (UIY) has issued a stern challenge to the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), demanding that the group either produce verifiable evidence to back its allegations against Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, or tender an unreserved public apology.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and jointly signed by the group’s National President, Dr. Nicholas Nwigwe, and Vice President, Dr. Ada Stella Okoronkwo, the UIY — which has a presence across all 36 states — described the allegations surrounding Kalu’s NYSC certificate and Nigerian Law School records as fabricated and politically motivated, dismissing COSEYL as a “group for hire” acting in the interest of unnamed political sponsors.

Central to the UIY’s defence is the outcome of a 2023 NYSC verification exercise, which the group said resulted in an official letter confirming that Kalu obtained his certificate in full compliance with the NYSC Act. A senior NYSC director who participated in the process has since publicly reaffirmed that finding.

The UIY challenged COSEYL to produce a counter-verification document from the NYSC, a letter from the agency’s Director-General disputing the 2023 findings, or any sworn affidavit from a competent authority supporting its claims.

“Because if you cannot — and we are absolutely certain you cannot — then COSEYL has done nothing less than defame a serving constitutional officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the statement declared.

On reports that elements of the same campaign were considering filing a petition against Kalu at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee over his Law School records, the UIY dismissed the move, urging the Nigerian Bar Association and senior legal practitioners to shield the committee from what it described as partisan abuse.

The group posed six pointed questions to COSEYL, including the identity of those funding the campaign, whether legal advice was sought before making allegations against a constitutional officer, and whether the coalition was connected to a wider network deploying protest groups against the Deputy Speaker using diverted public resources.

The UIY argued that the attacks were driven by political fear rather than genuine accountability, noting that Kalu had neither declared for the Abia State governorship nor filed any electoral expression of intent.

“They are not fighting a declared candidate. They are fighting a potential,” the statement read.

The union called on Igbo youth organisations, traditional institutions, the media, and security agencies to reject the campaign and investigate the funding behind protest activities targeting the Deputy Speaker.