From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Women Arise organization have staged a peaceful peace walk against violence during the forthcoming November 11 governorship election in the state, urging President Bola Tinubu and the Security agencies to ensure a peaceful election come November 11, 2023.

During a Peaceful Walk in Yenagoa, the state capital on Tuesday, hundreds of women and youths led by prominent community and Civil Society leaders, called for justice for the victims of previous election-related violence in the state.

The Peace Walk which kickoff at the Ekeki Motor Park, saw participants carrying banners and placards with different inscriptions – “Peaceful Elections for Bayelsa,” “Justice for the Victims,” and “Stop Election Violence.

Head of Department, Theater and Film Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Faith Aminikpo, who led the women to deliver a powerful speech to the police authorities in the state, expressed the collective voice of the women who are tired of witnessing violence during elections.

She said: “We, the women of Bayelsa, are taking a stand for peace. We demand that the upcoming governorship election on November 11 be conducted without violence. We have seen the suffering and pain caused by election-related violence, and we refuse to accept this as the norm.

“We cannot quickly forget the victims of the previous election violence that has been witnessed in our state, particularly in the 2015 and 2019 Governorship elections.

“Today, we are yet to get justice, for victims of the mindless killing by desperate politician and their thugs, including those of Simon Otor in Ekeremor local government, Mr Abule of Southern Ijaw Local government, Philip Ochikya, Menoze Peter in Yenagoa, ThankGod Michael, Isaac Gift among many others.”

The group acknowledged the efforts of the Bayelsa State incumbent administration, in fostering peace among the citizens, which in turn, has greatly impacted on the peaceful atmosphere, currently being witnessed days, ahead of the election, stressing the need, for the security agencies and stakeholders, to consolidate on State government’s effort, ahead of the forthcoming election.

She said: “We also call upon President Bola Tinubu to use his influence and authority to ensure that this election is conducted in a peaceful and transparent manner. We believe that it is in the best interest of our beloved state and its citizens that we have a peaceful democratic process.”

The organization also used the opportunity to call for justice for the victims of past election violence in Bayelsa State, emphasizing the importance of accountability and a fair legal process to address these issues. They stressed that without justice, there can be no lasting peace.

The peace walk received widespread attention and support from various sections of society, including civil society organizations, local leaders, Students, Youth and members of the international community. It serves as a poignant reminder of the urgent need for peace, stability, and justice in the lead-up to the upcoming governorship election.

Bayelsa Women Arise vows to continue advocating for peace and justice in Bayelsa State, and they encourage all stakeholders to join them in their quest for a peaceful electoral process and the restoration of justice for past victims of election violence, in the state.

Receiving the letter from the women, Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Mr Tolani Alausa, expressed support for peaceful election in the state come November 11.

He said the police had initially planned to deploy 27,000 personnel during Bayelsa governorship election but now it has increased to almost 40,000 including other sister security agencies to ensure people go out and vote peacefully.

He said: “Police as a leading agency in the security architecture, we are taking cognizance of your theme, ‘Never Again’, because it’s apt for this purpose, all the political class need is to play by the rules of the game, never again shall we have people murdered because of election, in the last election, not only civilian was killed but some police officers were also killed.

“We are going to do everything within our constitutional rights to ensure that we defend the right of every Bayelsan to go out there and cast his/her vote without harassment, molestation.

“Good enough we are in an off-cycle election, where we are going to have enough security around the state, like I said before now, we are going to deploy 27,000 policemen but it has increased to almost 40,000 men including other sister security personnel to ensure that people go out and vote.” He said.