A veteran broadcaster, sociologist, lawyer, administrator and former Director General, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Prof. Tonnie Iredia, has urged the Nigerian electorate not to tie their votes to political parties but candidates with the potential to deliver the dividend of democracy to them. In this interview with BRIDGET CHIEDU ONOCHIE, Iredia insisted that the competence of each candidate is crucial in elections. He also spoke about some political developments in Edo State ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
In your recent public statement, you faulted the campaign process in Nigeria, especially with regards to Edo and Ondo states governorship elections slated for September and November respectively. What exactly did you perceive wrong about the process that you would want to be corrected?
Well, I am not really sure whether this subject is restricted to the two states. In most states in this country, when an election is coming, they wear a toga of war rather than a jersey of a game. But election is a game; somebody wins and somebody loses. It is not a war and you don’t need to kill in order to win.
