Former presidential candidate, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, says Nigerian voters are too 'mentally-enslaved' to not realise they've been wasting their votes since the return of democracy in 1999.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have taken turns to control the Federal Government over the past 22 years, but Moghalu does not believe they have rewarded voters with good governance.
The 58-year-old noted that despite the abysmal performances of the two parties, voters are too devoted to their 'political kidnappers' that they refuse to consider better alternatives, like him.
He said, "Our own people are so mentally-enslaved that they're only looking at who can win, not whether that person or that party can provide them with the basics of life that people take for granted in Japan, China, America, or Sweden.
"That means our people have come to believe they're less than human. They have been devalued in their own minds and don't even value themselves anymore.
"All of this supposes that we the people have lost our agency. We don't have a will anymore. We must reverse this trend."
Moghalu plans to run for the country's highest political office in 2023, his second attempt following his less-than-impressive return of less than 22,000 votes in the 2019 presidential election,
He said his strategy heading into the next election is to convince Nigerians to break off the 'chains of slavery' tying them to the political class that's exploiting them.
The former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) boasted about his capacity and experience to unify the country and make it work for Nigerians better than it currently does.
"Nigeria must be led now by a thinker and a doer.
"When I've spent half of my life managing teams from 200 countries - black, white, brown, red, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, managing Nigeria is going to be a piece of cake for me," he said.
Moghalu recently joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), two years after he left the Young Progressives Party (YPP) on whose platform he contested his first time.
The former United Nations (UN) official is confident of a better run in 2023 because he believes the internal crises affecting the APC and PDP make them weaker going into the contest.
He noted that a strong and robust third force has a great chance of taking on the two more established parties, and that there are ongoing negotiations for a merger of five to six political parties that plan to do that.
"We're seeking power for the sake of the people, not for ourselves. We're seeking power with a vision and agenda for real change in the economy and political organisation of Nigeria. Not just for personal aggrandisement," he said.