Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Seriake Dickson, has left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The former governor of Bayelsa State announced his defection during a press conference on Thursday in Abuja.
The NDC was recently registered as a political party by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in February.
Dickson criticised the wave of defections by opposition figures to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that he would have remained in the PDP if the party had not been plagued by persistent internal crises.
“Nigeria cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria is not designed to be a one-party state,” he said.
The lawmaker described Nigeria as a politically, culturally and ethnically diverse nation, stressing that such complexity requires leadership capable of fostering unity, inclusion and respect among its different groups.
Dickson also explained why he declined to align with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, saying he was uncertain about the party’s policy direction.
“I don’t frankly know where the ADC stands on some of the issues that are very important to me,” he said.
“The NDC stands for true federalism in a democratic Nigeria and the devolution of power. The NDC stands for investments in education, healthcare, and security for Nigerians.
“Any political party that I will call my own must be clear on those issues. It is a good thing for people to gather in opposition (ADC coalition). But I want to ask, what is their agenda for governance? What is the agenda beyond gathering? And time will tell whether it is a coalition or a collision.”
Dickson was also among the senators who pushed for the mandatory electronic transmission of election results during deliberations on amendments to the Electoral Act earlier in the year.
