Nigeria, June 1 -- The main threat to Nigerian democracy is no longer a lack of understanding of elections but the growing doubt that elections matter. What is often labelled voter apathy is actually a rational response. When citizens believe their votes matter, hope drives them; when manipulation seems possible, disengagement follows - not from disdain for democracy, but from a sense of abandonment and frustration.

INEC now faces the challenge of restoring electoral trust. The Commission is not just an election manager; it is the institution that confers democratic legitimacy. Its conduct shapes whether elections are accepted as legitimate or dismissed as empty rituals. As long as INEC is trusted, winners gain acceptance and losers conc...