Nigeria, March 16 -- For the third time since 1999, I voted at a general election on 25 February and did so without much hassle. I knew my candidates would lose at the unit where I voted, but that didn't matter. Voting mattered more to me.

The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) processed me so quickly it was almost like magic. I had no reason to suspect my experience would not be the norm that day.

As I walked away from the booth, a family friend who had just voted caught up with me.

"Thank God that I have voted," she said. "What gives me even greater joy is that my vote has gone directly to the INEC server, unlike the last time."

I was puzzled.

"How do you mean?" I asked.

She explained that the last time she voted in 2019, a...