Razaq Bamidele
An all women Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), StandUp for Women Society (SWS), has called on politicians involved in the on-going electioneering towards the 2023 general election to avoid any utterances that could lead to violence, acrimony and enmity.
This warning from the Society’s President, Barr. Deborah Abosede Ijadele-Adetona was contained in a statement signed by its National Publicity Officer, Liberator Billie Nwogu, in which the President described politics as game of interest and not of do or die affair.
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According to the statement, the political game is to be played without bitterness or war because it is about the welfare of the citizenry, admonishing that, whoever wins should accommodate the losers in a manner of an all-inclusive arrangement that would benefit all and sundry without any iota of discrimination.
The legal practitioner cum activist therefore admonished the youth to shun any act of violence, thuggery and hooliganism capable of breaching the peace during the campaign, during the campaigns, as well as during the election and after the election.
She also appealed to the leadership of all the political parties and the policy makers to always incorporate the youth and the women in the scheme of things stating that, “the importance of all-inclusiveness in governance can never be overemphasised.”
While reminding that, election is a system where winners and losers must emerge, Ijadele-Adetona, therefore called on the politicians to shun campaign of calumny, bitterness and acrimony, reminding that whatever they preach on the podium is what their supporters would act upon.
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She also called on women across the nation to give maximum support to women candidates across the parties in the coming general elections, saying, “if Nigeria needs to get better, women must be given all support to also be elected into political responsibility across all the elective and appointive offices across board.”
Ijadele-Adetona further urged the politicians not to interfere in the activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), expressing the need to allow the commission to be focussed on the responsibilities assigned them by the country just as she encouraged INEC to also demonstrate unbiased professionalism in the discharge of its statutory duties..
“We, Nigerians must support and respect the fundamental human rights, and follow the electoral processes as stipulated by the INEC to fulfil its constitutional mandate, just as we call on the INEC to display transparency and accuracy. We expect politicians and their supporters to allow INEC to operate freely without pressure from any powers that be.”
