Nigeria, March 22 -- Nigerians are often united in lamentation-crying out against the failures of governance, cursing the ineptitude of leaders, and criticising the selfish elite who perpetuate suffering through corruption, bad policies, and outright neglect. Yet, when election season arrives, the same people who decry oppression rush to the polls to reinstate their tormentors.

Why? Because ethnic, religious, and regional sentiments cloud their judgment. The hunger that fuels their outrage today is forgotten when tribal loyalty is invoked or a few wads of naira notes exchange hands. The very leaders they condemned yesterday suddenly become their champions, not because they have changed, but because they have successfully manipulated the ...