Abuja — Senator Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Governor of Bayelsa State, has revealed that he deliberately refused to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) because he does not believe Nigeria should become a one-party state.
Dickson made the disclosure on Thursday, 17 September 2026, when the management of Leadership Newspaper visited him at his Abuja residence to present the official notification of his selection as the newspaper’s Politician of the Year 2026.
The former Bayelsa governor said the deepening crisis and steady decline within his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), forced him to seek a new political direction. Rather than defect to the APC—a path he described as the easier option taken by many politicians—he chose to help establish the NDC as a credible alternative platform aimed at preserving multiparty democracy.
“I did not believe Nigeria should become a one-party state,” Dickson stated. He explained that the decision to build a new party was taken at a difficult time when the prospects of creating a strong opposition force appeared uncertain.
According to him, the goal was to maintain political competition and give Nigerians another genuine platform for democratic participation. “Months down the line, we have built a formidable party and a major opposition platform in Nigeria,” he added.
Dickson, who served two terms as Bayelsa governor and later represented Bayelsa West in the Senate under the PDP, has long positioned himself as a defender of multiparty democracy. He has previously said he could have joined the APC even while serving as governor but declined for the same reason—that Nigeria must not slide into one-party dominance.
During the meeting with the Leadership team, he expressed gratitude to Nigerians, NDC leaders, members and supporters for their confidence and sacrifices.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and urged party members to set aside any disagreements from the nomination process and focus on mobilising support for all NDC candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The NDC emerged earlier in 2026 after Dickson and his associates left the PDP, citing internal crises that they said left the party unable to offer effective opposition. Dickson has repeatedly argued that Nigeria’s diversity makes one-party rule both undesirable and impractical.
His latest comments come amid ongoing political realignments as parties prepare for the 2027 polls, with several high-profile figures moving across party lines.
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