Free And Fair Elections: Are They Sustainable?

The people of Ondo State have voted and subsequently chosen the
incumbent Governor to serve them for another four years at the
government house in Akure. There are high expections from the
electorate that he will perform better than he is doing in his current
tenure which runs out in february next year. So far there has been no
news of unlawful conduct during the course of the election except the
case involving the PDP candidate trying to get the sum of One
Millionaire Naira past the security agents, obviously to use it to
bribe the electorate to vote for him as is the norm within the PDP,
but the electorate have had the final say even though he was
successful in his attempt. Many have attributed the success of this
election to the stand of the Nigerian president, Dr. Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan to deliver a free and fair election and many think this is
the beginning of a new era where the electorate choose who leads them
not godfathers, but what many do not know is that when the current
President's tenure expires in 2015 or 2019 if he is re-elected, is if
the next president will allow for a free and fair election. Although
INEC is supposed to be an independent agency, its chairman is still
appointed by the President to whom he or she is accountable
considering the fact that he was appointed and did not rise through
the ranks as is supposed to be with independent agencies. I use this
opportunity to congratulate the "Iroko" as he becomes the first man to
lead the people of Ondo for two consecutive tenures and to put foward
this question: Do you think that Nigeria can sustain its free and fair
electoral process or is this just another short spell that ends with
our President's tenure or when he decides to change his stance?