Nigeria, Feb. 24 -- My direct experience with Nigeria's elections began in 1999. As a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Katsina State, I cast my ballot for Dr Olu Falae of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). General Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd.) won that election with 18,738,154 votes, against Dr Olu Falae, who received 11,110,287 votes. He subsequently served two presidential terms. That cycle, for me, was one of hope.

The 2003 gubernatorial election in Lagos marked a stark shift. At my local polling unit, I witnessed voters openly thumb-printing stacks of ballot papers - a brazen act that revealed the system's vulnerability. For years, subsequent elections followed this troubling pattern.

A gradual change seemed to arrive ...