Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Bonny Women Forum (BWF) says the interest of women should be the centrepoint of what those who win the 2023 elections plan to do when they get into office.

Woman Leader of Bonny Kingdom, Helen Pepple said this on Saturday, January 28, 2023 during an interactive session with candidates of some political parties contesting the 2023 polls in Bonny, Rivers State.

In attendance at the session were candidates for the Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and Bonny Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The candidates were drawn from the Labour Party (LP), All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and National Rescue Movement (NRM).

Among the House of Assembly candidates were Tamunoene Abusi (LP), Dabota Jumbo (APC), Amie Allison (ADC), and Maxwell Green (NRM); while the House of Representatives candidates included Fubara Hart (APC), who was represented by a former Chairman of Bonny LGA, Edward Pepple, Della Waribo (NNPP), and Ibitamuno Duogbuluma-Abusi (NRM).  

The Bonny Kingdom Woman Leader while addressing the candidates and their supporters and party faithful who accompanied them to the event, said issues related to the socio-economic wellbeing, political emancipation and other social benefits for women are necessary ingredients that should populate the manifestos of any serious-minded candidate.

She informed that the women of Bonny Kingdom would soon make public which candidate and political party they would vote in the forthcoming polls.

During the interactive session, the various candidates made presentations as to their plans for the women covering broad areas such as human capital development, economic empowerment, healthcare, education, provision of social amenities, political opportunities for women, and emplacement of feedback mechanism, among others.

The women were also given opportunity to query the presentations made, demand clarity and insist on specificity with regards to the promises being made by the politicians.  

In various interviews with Kristina Reports, the candidates for House of Assembly and House of Representatives advanced their unique offerings for the women and people of Bonny and Degema LGAs.

The Labour Party (LP) candidate for House of Assembly, Tamunoene Abusi expressed confidence that “come 2023, I will be in the House of Assembly; when I get there by God’s grace, it will a parliament, all inclusive, 60% women representation, and, of course, we need to put our heads together to make things happen”.

Speaking, House of Assembly candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Maxwell Green, assured that “if the women of Bonny vote me into power, I will come back and meet with them, so that they can tell me what they want so that I can pursue legislation on it,” adding that “once the legislation is made, I will come and make it is done”.   

On her part, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for House of Assembly, Dabota Jumbo stated that “I am here today because I came to give the message of hope; I came to tell the women and give them reasons why I should be voted in, to consolidate on all of the support that I have been giving to this community over the years”.

Also speaking, Amie Allison, House of Assembly candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), told Kristina Reports that “In summary, I told them that I have come to represent them; if they happen to vote for me and I get there, I will make sure everything that they will need that I can lay hands on or should I put it this way, that whatever that is meant for the constituency will be brought back home and personally, I will see to it”.

As for the House of Representatives hopeful for the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Della Waribo, her stance was first to identify with the women of Bonny LGA and align her aspirations to their needs, assuring that should they avail her their votes, actualizing their expectations would be her priority when elected into office.

“First of all, as a woman like them, I want a situation where our women will be fully involved in governance; and my message to the Bonny Women Forum is that today, I have become a part of them, their concerns are my concerns, their problems are my problems.”

“I will be actively involved in all the activities of my constituents and they are my constituents; so, I’ll be actively involved in their development, welfare, everything that concerns them and to every other woman in Degema and in the whole of Bonny.”

On her part, the National Rescue Movement (NRM) candidate for House of Representatives, Ibitamuno Duogbuluma-Abusi asserted that realizing the expectations of the women from legislative representatives was achievable where they coalesce their strengths and forge a common front with her by availing her their votes.     

“I told the women of Bonny Kingdom that for the fact that we are women, we can collaborate to achieve what we want. The whole process is about determination. If we are determined to make a change in our society, in our families, we can achieve that.”

“Change is not easy; it doesn’t come easy. By the time we toil for the truth, sweat for it and push we will achieve that thing that we are going for. It’s a matter of determination. I talked with the women, what do they want? From all indication, they want the status quo to be changed, the norm to be disrupted, that we control the narrative for our benefit.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for House of Representatives, Kingsley Fubara Hart, who was represented by a former Chairman of Bonny LGA, Edward Pepple, said he brought “the message of hope, the message of trust, the message that we have shown, that we have exhibited of long term performance that our party has committed itself to for Bonny Kingdom”.

He further stressed that “virtually everything Bonny Kingdom and Bonny LGA had long wanted had been delivered during the administration of the All Progressives Congress from Mr. President talking about the Bonny/Bomu Road, talking about Train 7, and, of course, the Deep Seaport”.

“For the man I represented, of course, he is well equipped for this job and he is going to do exactly what we have said here that he is going to do.”