Background
Nigeria has been going through a steady decline for decades and most of us blamed it on military rule with the hope that a return to democracy was going to solve our problems. Well, since 1999 we have had democracy, and the country keeps lagging behind in every major development index. In spite of democracy, Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world and is one of the most insecure places in the world. As Nigeria returned to democracy, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) became the ruling party and remained so for 16 years, then in 2015 there was a merger of several parties which led to the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC). APC promised change for the better, but today we are far worse than we were 7 years ago! It has become clear to most Nigerians that the PDP and APC are both sides of the same coin which is why every other day, politicians keep jumping back and forth between both parties.

Demand
The 2023 elections is an opportunity for Nigeria to finally elect a visionary leadership to help the country reach its potential. The elections will hold in 12 months and the two major political parties lack the political will to present candidates with vision, capacity and conscience. On the bright side, there has been talk of a “Third Force” that will be created through a merger of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Social Democratic Party (SDP), National Rescue Mission (NRM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and other civil society organizations. This new party promises to present visionary & capable leaders across the ballot with the know-how to put the country on a path to economic prosperity and greatness!

However, considering that these talks have been on since 2020, the group that is championing this “Third Force'' seem to lack the required sense of urgency. They seem to think that there is sufficient time to create an alternative party, sensitize Nigerians and run a successful campaign in just a few months. For crying out loud, the elections are in 365 days and every second counts. We call on the patriots involved in this potential merger: Prof. Pat Utomi, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, Olu Agunloye, Prof. Attahiru Jega, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Femi Falana, Ralphs Okey Nwosu, Senator Saidu Dansadau, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, Dr Usman Bugaje, Barr. Dan Nwanyanwu, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Prof Osita Ogbu, Chief Akin Braithwaite, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, Arc. Nya-Etok, Hajiya Najatu Mohammed, Prof Mrs Remi Sonaiya and other great patriots, to act with utmost urgency and create this mega party so that the party can start getting promoted across the country. The future of our country is at stake.

Action
The time for action is now! Talk is cheap and Nigerians are tired of just hearing about the Third Force rather they want to see it come into fruition. If the problem is money, ask us and we are ready to crowdfund this movement. There are millions of Nigerians at home and abroad ready to support with N500, 100k, 1 million and and even more! What are we afraid of?

There is absolutely no reason why we cannot have a Third Force take over: Over 84m PVC were collected. Total votes in 2019 election including APC, PDP and other political parties combined was less than 28m. This means that we have over 56m untapped voters with PVCs that are not interested in APC and PDP! The 2023 election is an opportunity for real change and we CAN NOT afford to miss it!

We call on all patriotic Nigerians to please sign and share this petition across all social media platforms.