Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The lawmaker who represents Bayelsa West Senatorial District in the Senate, announced his decision on Thursday at his residence in Abuja, where he said the PDP once dominated Nigeria’s political landscape had deteriorated significantly.
Dickson said the PDP was in a declining state, adding that the party, which once brought hope and excitement to his people, had become gravely ill.
“The PDP is sick and presently in the ICU,” he lamented.
Dickson accused some PDP governors of undermining the party’s strength by aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress, a development he said had worsened the party’s internal crisis and weakened its position as a viable opposition platform.
He said the situation forced him to take a new political path by joining the newly registered NDC approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Dickson said he was moving forward with his political career on a platform that reflects his current political aspirations.
The Senator was formally welcomed into the party by its leadership and was presented with the official flag of the NDC and issued a membership card bearing the number “001,” symbolising his status as one of the pioneering members of the party.
Dickson was governor of Bayelsa State from 2012 to 2020 before his election to the Senate in 2023 under the platform of the PDP.
