Alhaji Liad Tella, journalist and PDP House of Representatives candidate for Iwo in Osun State speaks ahead to today’s election.

What is your assessment of INEC’s preparation for the elections?

As far as I am concerned, I think INEC has done fairly well. The problem with Nigeria is that we don’t appreciate good efforts. As far as Jega and his team are concerned, I think they have done a good job.

The only thing they need to watch is that Resident Electoral Commissioners that are already entrenched in their states need to be moved around to avoid being used by any political party.

I have seen a situation where the electoral officer in a local government has connived with a particular political party during the recruitment of INEC ad hoc staff. The INEC ad hoc staff recruitment should have been thrown open but it is not thrown open particularly in Osun State.

It was done behind closed doors and when the announcement was published on the website, by the time applicants got to the place, they said there was no more vacancy.

How was the recruitment done? I think the state electoral officer in the state needs to look into this before it is too late. If he doesn’t then, we will be laying foundation for crisis.

As a candidate, how do you see the preparation by the political parties? Have they done enough to ensure all hands are on deck to ensure smooth and hitch-free elections?

You see, some parties are taking the people for a ride, particularly the ACN. They are brandishing old ideology. They are brandishing a manifesto that can be regarded as obsolete in context and focus.

It is clear deceit for any party at this time to say in its manifesto that it is pursuing free education, full and gainful employment, integrated rural programme and free medicare. This is the ideology of the defunct Action Group (AG) and that of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). The Alliance for Democracy (AD) adopted the ideology and used Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s name for election among illiterates.

During the period of my senior, respected leader, Chief Bisi Akande, was there free education in Osun State? How many students were in Osun State public schools? How many were in private schools? How many were in state tertiary institutions? How many were in federal tertiary institutions? How many were in private institutions? Was the state government responsible for the payment of their fees throughout?

If you say free education, it must be free in name and content. Whether one is in private  school or public school, federal institution or state institution, as long as you have heard yourself out in in your manifestoes, in your words and in your actions, that you are going to ensure free education for all, then, you have to pay for from A to Z, which was not done. So, I see this as ideology of deceit.

When talking about free medicare for all; you and I know that that does not exist at all. How many public hospitals do we have? How many private hospitals do we have? Private clinics are not working out. If it is true, everybody should go to any clinic, if possible, register and bring the bill to government to settle. Has that been the case? So, free medicare for all is a fluke.

On gainful employment, many people have been retrenched; teachers sent packing; local government workers sent home, in order to reduce expenditure on overhead and salary. By sacking, retrenching, retiring before retirement age, does that amount to full employment to all? I call it ideology of deceit.