A coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the aegis of Ready to Lead Africa has appealed to the youths of Bayelsa State to eschew all forms of political and electoral violence that could adversely affect the conduct of free, fair, and credible polls before, during, and after the November 11, 2023, governorship election.
The state leader of Ready to Lead Africa, Mrs. Bridget Pinaowei Macauley, made the call during a peaceful rally held on Thursday in Yenagoa to sensitise Bayelsans, especially the youth, to shun electoral violence.
According to Macauley, the NGO is saddled with the responsibility to combat electoral irregularities in Bayelsa, adding that one of the programmes they have decided to embark on is to “say no to electoral violence”.
She said, “We understand that it is through this election that we will elect somebody to lead Bayelsa State. We want to tell our young people not to allow themselves to be used for thuggery. The only thing we need in this election is our PVC; we don’t need guns, and we don’t need anything that will cause violence in this election.
“That is why we are going around the town to sensitise Bayelsans to shun election violence. The lives of our youths are more important; if any one of them is killed in the process, it is their families that will bear the loss. We don’t need to fight in this election.”
On his part, the deputy state leader, Mr Powedei Debekeme, said the team came out to preach to Bayelsans concerning the November 11 governorship election in the state and the importance of conducting themselves peacefully.
“We don’t want to appear on the news for the wrong reasons. That is why we have come to speak to our mothers, our fathers, and our youths that come Saturday, November 11, let us not go to the polling units with guns, let us not go to the polling units with machetes, let us not go to the polling units with dangerous weapons; it is only with our PVCs. We are calling our people—our brothers, our sisters, our friends, our neighbours, and our relatives—that the election will not be war.”
Also, the representative of Ijaw Female Elite, Mrs. Akpoebi Debekeme, urged women to come out on election day and exercise their franchise by voting for the candidate of their choice.
She said, “I want to tell Bayelsans that as they are going to their polling units, they should vote wisely. They shouldn’t come out to fight or snatch ballot boxes. They should come out and vote for the right leader. As Bayelsans, we want peace, we want progress, and we want to have good things in our state.
“We should come out peacefully and vote for the person we want—the person that is our choice. Nobody should hijack the ballot box; nobody should fight because if we fight on that election day, we will not be able to vote for who we want.”
An election observer, Tare Maureen, emphasised the fact that elections are a civic process and not a war, calling on Bayelsans to come out and vote in order to reduce voter apathy and violence in the election.
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