Originally Posted by akuluouno 
That man was, and still is, considered in many quarters in the European continent, as a great man. But the 'freest elections' that made him great, as I saw it when he headed the elections in Nigeria, was less a result of his personal effort and genius but more a result of the Nigerian politicians and electorates of that era conducting themselves in honest ways because they had military guns aimed at their heads.
Fear of the military was the key. That fear was not present in the last election because the military was not in charge of it and that was why honesty and civility resulted in the wrost forms of election corruptions. Fear of death or physical harm will always make people suddenly honest.