masukuma wrote:boss, you are so naive! of course elections that are one sided are considered "free and fair!" like kenya's 2002 election, the 2 referendums. the issue is - what happens when its too close to call? Nigeria is far from being a true democracy, a true democracy is where people respect the institutions of and that cannot be detected from a one sided win!
the only test is if Goodluck johnson had 49% and had spent a load of cash in the campaign and the some other fellow had 51% in a second round voting and people accepted the electoral commission's decision! that would be a TRUE DEMOCRACY! bila hiyo, unajidanganya! politics in africa is too highstaked.
Ah, I see you are the breath of fresh air we all need...logic mired in "how it has always been" rather than seeking to rise to "what it should be".
Naive or not, my friends and colleagues in Nigeria, who are on the ground and have been since the last election, concur that this is a win for democracy. So, feel free to foam at the mouth and pontificate about what you think true democracy is....even with a little bloodshed,,,it it a better model of democracy than we have in Kenya...