Ex-Bayelsa Governor Seriake Dickson quits PDP

The Bayelsa West Senator, Seriake Dickson, has resigned his membership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), a newly registered political party.

Mr Dickson, a former Bayelsa governor who governed the state from 2012 to 2020, announced his defection at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

He explained that his decision to leave the party was due to the irreconcilable leadership crisis in the PDP, the platform on which he contested and won the governorship election and his current seat in the Senate

The NDC is one of the two new political parties recently registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in preparation for the 2027 general elections. The other party is the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA).

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With the addition of the two parties, the total number of registered political parties in Nigeria has increased to 21.

At the press briefing, Mr Dickson said the NDC would serve as an alternative opposition platform within Nigeria’s political landscape.

The senator also commended INEC for registering the party, although he noted that the registration should have come earlier.

“Last week INEC issued a certificate of registration and we now have the newest party in Nigeria known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and our symbol is victory, the victory sign. So, my dear Nigerians, you now have a credible alternative opposition party known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

“Yes, it is coming at this time, we would have wished it started some years or months back, we don’t control INEC and their processes, they delayed, we don’t also control the judiciary, but thank God it has finally arrived,” he said.

With his defection, the number of serving PDP senators has been reduced. Mr Dickson is currently the only lawmaker representing the NDC in the Senate.

He is expected to formally notify the Senate by writing a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, informing the chamber of his defection.

One-party state allegation

There have been allegations that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in collaboration with President Bola Tinubu, is attempting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state amid the increasing number of opposition governors and political leaders defecting to the ruling party.

READ ALSO: How ex-PDP chairperson clinched APC leadership in Taraba

However, the government and the APC have repeatedly denied the allegation, urging opposition parties to resolve internal crises rather than making such claims.

Speaking on the matter, Mr Dickson rejected the idea of a one-party system, arguing that Nigeria’s diversity makes such a system impractical.

“This nation cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria is not designed to be a one-party state. We are a very diverse nation culturally, religiously and politically and that is the beauty of our country.

“We get involved in movements to access power for the good of the people, not for our good and benefit,” he added.