Senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, has formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), citing deep internal divisions that he said have weakened the opposition party.
The former Bayelsa State governor announced his decision on Thursday during a media briefing in Abuja, marking a significant political shift in the country’s opposition landscape.
Explaining his decision, Dickson said the persistent internal crisis within the PDP had severely diminished the party’s capacity to accommodate differing interests and voices.
According to him, the irreconcilable differences within the party had effectively shrunk its once expansive umbrella, leaving many members politically stranded.
The lawmaker also lamented what he described as the party’s growing silence on major national issues, insisting that leadership struggles had crippled its effectiveness as a viable opposition platform.
“PDP has lost its voice on national issues,” Dickson said, blaming the prolonged leadership tussle for weakening the party’s influence in national discourse.
He expressed optimism about the future of the newly formed NDC, which was recently registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing it as a platform capable of rebuilding a strong and credible opposition in Nigeria.
Dickson therefore called on Nigerians to rally around the new party and formally register as members, stressing that broad participation would be crucial in shaping what he described as a better political future for the country.
