In reaction to the defection of Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Seriake Dickson, representing Bayelsa West under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has sharply condemned the move, describing it as a dangerous step toward a one-party system in Nigeria.
Speaking to journalists after Wednesday’s plenary session, the former Bayelsa governor reaffirmed his unwavering loyalty to the PDP, calling himself a soldier of democracy committed to protecting Nigeria’s multiparty system.
“I am where I have always been,” Dickson declared. “I don’t believe Nigeria should become a one-party state. As a democrat, I understand the ups and downs of the process, but I remain constant and steadfast in the PDP.”
He criticised some PDP governors, including Diri, accusing them of neglecting their responsibility to provide leadership within the party and instead allowing internal crises to grow before abandoning the party.
“It’s sad. Instead of fixing the problems, they let the crisis fester and now they are bailing out,” Dickson lamented. “It makes Nigeria look small, ridicules our democracy, and endangers multiparty politics. What we are witnessing is political class suicide.”
The senator revealed that Governor Diri had reached out to him several times before finalizing his defection but insisted that the reasons provided were unconvincing.
“To his credit, he consulted me,” Dickson said. “But I didn’t see any compelling reason to defect. I’m still standing where I have always stood, with the PDP, the party that gave my people the opportunity to produce a Vice President, an acting President, and a President of the Federal Republic. The APC cannot offer that.”
He further emphasized that saving the PDP remains a collective duty and urged party members to remain resolute rather than joining the ruling party.
“If we fail to save the PDP, then we will decide collectively on the next step, but it certainly should not be joining the APC. A democracy without opposition becomes a dictatorship,” he concluded.
What you should know
Senator Seriake Dickson, a two-term former governor of Bayelsa State and one of the founding figures of the PDP in the Niger Delta, has long been known for his firm stance on democratic pluralism.
His comments come amid a wave of defections from the PDP to the APC, which many political observers fear could weaken Nigeria’s multiparty democracy and tilt the nation toward one-party dominance.
