Nine years after the 1914 amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Protectorates, Nigeria held its first general elections on September 20, 1923. Since then, several other elections have been held. It has been 100 years since the 1923 general elections. Three years earlier in 1920, council elections were held in Lagos. Like it was in 1923, so it is now. Our elections, whether general or not, are still highly contentious. Contestants want to win at all costs; or the elections are not free and fair.
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A century of elections is worth celebrating, more so that the 100th anniversary came during another election cycle. The presidential and National Assembly elections were held on February 25, while the governorship and Houses of Assembly polls took place on March 18. Our elections may be acrimonious; do-or-die or winner-take-all, but they can never be written off. They still remain the process through which leaders are elected.
We must do everything to grow the electoral process as that is the way to sustain democracy. With Nigeria’s experience of 100 years of conducting elections, the country has come a long way in charting its course.