Senator Seriake Dickson has expressed deep concern over the ongoing crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, stating that former President Goodluck Jonathan “must be sad” about the party’s decline.
Dickson made the remarks on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, weeks after his defection to the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
Reflecting on the situation, the former Bayelsa governor suggested that the PDP, once a dominant political force that produced multiple presidents since 1999, has lost its relevance.
“What I can say is that President Jonathan, while I’m not his spokesman, must be very sad.
“I know that if I’m sad, having been this attached to the PDP, you can imagine how sad he will be, having been governor, deputy governor, vice president, and president of Nigeria on that platform, and right before your eyes, that platform is evaporating,” he said.
Dickson, who governed Bayelsa State from 2012 to 2020 under the PDP, officially joined the NDC on March 5, describing the new platform as a credible opposition alternative.
“So, my dear Nigerians, you now have a credible alternative opposition party known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress,” he said during his defection in Abuja.
“Yes, it is coming at this time. We would have wished it had started some years or months back; we don’t control INEC and their processes. They delayed. We also don’t control the judiciary, but thank God it has finally arrived.”
The PDP has been grappling with internal divisions over the past year, with rival factions laying claim to its leadership. The crisis has also led to a wave of defections, leaving the party with a reduced number of governors as several members moved to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Despite suggestions that key figures are abandoning the PDP, Dickson argued otherwise, insisting that the party itself has lost direction.
“It wouldn’t be correct to say that we are leaving the PDP or that I have left the PDP.
“The PDP, rather unfortunately, has left us, has left me, because the platform has evaporated and ceased to exist.”
What you should know
Seriake Dickson’s comments highlight the deepening crisis within the PDP, once Nigeria’s dominant political party.
Internal divisions, leadership disputes, and defections have weakened its structure ahead of future elections. His move to the NDC signals the emergence of alternative opposition platforms, which could reshape Nigeria’s political landscape.
The reference to Goodluck Jonathan underscores the emotional and historical significance of the PDP’s decline for its longtime members.
