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The April 14 and 21 elections marked a momentous occasion—the first time one civilian government handed power to another. The elections were to be a milestone in Nigeria’s history, which has been plagued by military rule, political instability, and poor governance. Instead of signaling a fresh hope for consolidation of democracy in the country, the elections were marred by flagrant fraud, allowing the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to maintain its power. The failure of the elections has been partly mitigated by the hope of judicial review of electoral malfeasance, the stabilizing ingenuity of ethno-regional power-sharing, and renewed national discussions of electoral reforms.