patronage system may pose the greatest threat to the nation since the Civil War. Therein may lie its salvation. Nigeria's elections on 25th February will not only be critical to the future of Nigeria, but also to that of the continent, and to an extent the world. It will be taken as a sign of whether democracy is advancing or retreating.
adds that"this election marks an inflection point for Nigeria: the possible beginning of fundamental change, or a step closer to disintegration. Democratic revolutions rarely happen overnight. They take hard graft and long years of campaigning. A growing number of Nigerian citizens want to change the way politics is done and seem willing to persevere. Whatever the outcome of this election, that is a good thing. Whoever is elected will have to recognise that politics is changing.