Nigeria, Jan. 22 -- The 2023 general election marked a rare political high point in Nigeria's democratic journey. Many young voters rallied around Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, inspired by a promise of frugality, reform, and a break from politics as usual. The "Obidient" movement felt less like a campaign and more like a generational statement: hope crystallised into political action.

However, barely two-and-a-half years later, that moment is steadily losing its grip and appears to have greatly diminished, if not totally disappeared.

This is not rooted in apathy but as a natural consequence of the nature of the emotional support and more importantly, disillusionment. Movements driven primarily by emotion oft...