I was so enthralled by the above titled opinion piece, published on March 4, 2022, written by Ibrahim Mustapha, Penbegua, in which he threw some light on those politicians who defected from Nigeria’s two major political parties and gave birth to the so-called Third Force gearing for the forthcoming political arena of the country.
The querying title of the writer had opened doors for weeks or months of political wrangling throughout the length and breadth of the country because dyed-in-the-wool supporters of the Kwankwasiyya movement and the recently created so-called National Movement, are looking upon this Third Force as an ultimate efficacious political group capable of emancipating underprivileged citizens of the country.
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Our politicians’ unripe politics is now being contaminated by an appetite for power keeping that patriotic spirit of the first and second republics of Nigeria aside. The tottering democracy of the country is now crying out for reliable politicians imbibed by the spirit of patriotism and coupled social and political egalitarianism, irrespective of their party affiliation, gender, religion, region, tribe or ethnicity.
Some Nigerians are currently looking upon this Third Force as a group of political prostitutes who are defecting from one political party to another expecting to achieve their personal gains or clinch a ticket rather than to serve the interest of their people or the nation from the bottom of their hearts.
Looking into the inextricable burdensome challenges rocking the country, the writer of the above-titled article including readers of my rejoinder may have concurred with my standpoint that Nigeria’s electorate, which are mostly unemployed young men and women, had no option other than to pin their hopes and faith on this Third Force with a view to sweeping up or calling a halt to the circumrotation of the failing gerontocracy camp. This jogged my memory of a Hausa proverb that says, “If the right-hand fails, the left one should be tested”. Hence, I think, if Nigerians were completely disillusioned by both APC and PDP, why don’t they test this Third Force come 2023 presidential election?
It is imperative for the Third Force to know that Nigeria’s jobless young men and women are absolutely fed up with Nigerian failing gerontocracy and they are now geared up to reclaim the country when a long-awaited golden opportunity of emerging a young Nigerian as a 2023 presidential candidate is given to them regardless of his party affiliation, religion, region, ethnicity and tribe. This is sound advice for the Third Force which deserves to be embraced tightly because even the Nigerian Youth Union (NYU) has recently declared that they will just support candidates who are below 60 years of age in the 2023 presidential election.
Nigerians are here knelt down in front of our Creator, Who neither slumbers nor sleeps, whining and appealing to Him to help bless us with credible, considerate, visionary and patriotic leaders in the 2023 upcoming general elections. We also appeal to Him, to fill the hearts of all Nigerians with willingness for unity, patriotic fervour and look down on us in pity and mercy, and make citizens of our toddling country see each other as one family and the whole nation as one home, amen.
Mustapha Baba, Alkali Musa Street, Azare, Bauchi State
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