A large group of women on Monday took to the streets of Osogbo, the Osun State capital, to protest alleged police intimidation, political violence and killings ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The protesters moved through major streets of the state capital carrying placards, singing solidarity songs and calling for an end to violence and killings linked to political activities. Their placards bore messages including, “Stop Electoral Violence,” “We Want Ballots, Not Bullets,” “Election Is Not War,” “Vote, Don’t Fight,” and “Stop the Killings in Osun.”
Speaking during the protest, one of the leaders, identified simply as Eniola, condemned the violence allegedly associated with political activities in the state. She stressed that political disagreements should not be allowed to result in killings, intimidation or destruction of property.
Eniola said families should not be forced to lose their loved ones because of political ambitions, noting that while elections are temporary, human lives cannot be replaced.
The women appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in what they described as the growing insecurity surrounding the election and ensure the safety of residents across Osun State.
The protesters also demanded the redeployment of the Osun State Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Gotan, alleging perceived partisanship in the handling of political activities in the state.
They called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to provide equal protection for all political parties, candidates and their supporters, regardless of their political affiliations.
The women further demanded that all reported cases of political violence and other unlawful activities be thoroughly investigated, with those found responsible prosecuted in accordance with the law.
They maintained that voters in Osun State must be allowed to freely access their polling units, cast their ballots without intimidation and return home safely after voting.
The protest comes just days before the August 15 governorship election, amid heightened political activities and concerns over alleged violence and insecurity in parts of the state.
