Nigeria, Jan. 16 -- Democracy is often celebrated as a system of checks and balances, of elections and constitutions, yet its most profound expression exists in the quiet choices people make every day. One of the most striking demonstrations of this freedom is the way political beliefs manifest within families. In Nigeria and around the world, it is not unusual to find fathers and sons, siblings, or other close relatives belonging to different political parties. These divergences are sometimes portrayed as conflicts, as betrayals, or as weaknesses, but in truth, they are living proof of individual agency and the very essence of democratic freedom.

In vibrant democracies, political identity is a personal choice shaped by lived experience,...