Nigeria, March 27 -- Nigeria has mastered the art of a convenient excuse. Whenever the country stumbles, and it often does, the blame is swiftly and almost exclusively placed on leadership. Bad roads? Bad leaders. Economic hardship? Bad leaders. Insecurity? Still bad leaders. It is an argument that feels justified, even obvious. But it is also incomplete. Because if we are being honest, Nigeria's crisis is not just about leadership failure. It is about followership failure, and nowhere is this more evident than at the ballot box.

Every election cycle, Nigerians approach the polls not as citizens making calculated decisions about their future, but as members of tribes, religious blocs, and emotional camps defending their own. The result ...