When Will 3G Become a Political Party?
In one of our policy documents we articulated the transitional period and activities between being a political movement and becoming a political party. Some of the activities include setting up zonal offices and preparing policy documents and party constitution. Most of these activities are accomplished or about to be accomplished. The question is, when will the process of 3G’s transformation into a new political platform be consummated? This question is necessary because of the dynamics of electoral politics. As more and more Nigerian sign on to the platform they will be demanding for clarity about the future. Already, some members have started asking questions on the future of 3G in relations to the 2011 elections. Also, other political groups are registering and no one can predict the electoral institution and process that will emerge next year with the intrigues going on.

Are We Ready for Change?
Based on the mandate from the Steering Committee to mobilize Nigerians to 3G platforms the secretariat has developed an ambitious but achievable program of mobilization. We expect that since the attraction of 3G to Nigerians is the promise of change from the transactional character of politics to transformative politics and from authoritarian leadership to democratic political organizing, there will be great pressure on the leadership of 3G to practice real democratic accountability in everyday management of the organisation.
The question is, are we prepared for the demand of internal democracy and accountable governance? Are we prepared to move away from the elitism and self-selection in managing party affairs? Part of the policy endorsement from the Steering Committee is that our focus should be on getting members and not leaders. This means that 3G should become a membership-based organization. To sustain this outlook our leaders must reorient themselves from aristocratic politics of the dominant tradition into a new culture of deliberation, consultation and deliberate populism. We cannot be for the people if they do not see themselves as stakeholders in the platforms.

Getting to Mass Politics:
The challenge of 2011 is how to defeat the PDP. There is a general consensus amongst Nigerians that democracy and development will not be possible under the PDP. Apart from ‘professional’ politicians few Nigerians lay any hope on PDP irrespective of who is its presidential candidate for 2011 elections. The opposition politicians also understand the fact; hence there is feverish activity to form different versions of what is called ‘the Mega Party’. The idea driving the ‘Mega Party’ phenomenon is the recognition that only a national movement of the Nigerian people will defeat PDP.
Our politics suffers from low-energy. This low-energy results from the narrowing of politics to the so-called professional politicians. Our political salvation as a people begins from liberating politics from this suffocating stranglehold. We are different because we understand that the route to winning political power in Nigeria outside PDP lies through mass politics. This simply means that we must widen the field of politics and introduce new actors that the old politicians do not have the capacity to control. This is how the ruling party is defeated everywhere in the world.
You either literally redraw the electoral constituency or figuratively redraw it by getting new people into the game. The involvement of youths and college educated professionals in campaign, fundraising and vote changed the 2008 elections in the US. The mobilization of intellectual class, working people, business community and civil society leaders could lead to the same revolutionary outcome in Nigeria in 2011.
The point is that we must organize our processes, structures and policy platforms to be attractive to a broad coalition of politicians and other mobilized and politically active stakeholder communities.

3G Candidates for 2011:
Part of the imperatives of getting ready for 2011 is to have a sense of the candidates for 2011. This is because it has always been the politics of the status quo. We are now in a revolutionary moment in Nigeria and the character and pedigree of candidates can create or undermine the momentum for change.
The time for choosing candidates is still down the line. But it is important to keep in mind the basic essentials that will guarantee that we remain a platform for change and have the chance of defeating the status quo. Our candidates must be:

The candidates must energize the base and this energy can be used to mobilize other skeptical or disinterested groups. We cannot afford ordinary persons whose entry into the scene will produce no political bounce.

Call us 9AM - 5PM CAT Monday - Friday +234709 880 2891, +234709 880 2892 Email- info@3gnigeria.org : You may also visit our office at plot 1213 Birao Street, Wuse II, Abuja to register. Our offices will soon open nationwide to enable more Nigerians become part of this movement.

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