RismadarVoice Reporters
September 18, 2026
National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Senator Seriake Dickson, has explained that he rejected the option of joining the ruling All Progressives Congress because he did not want to contribute to what he feared could become a one-party political system in Nigeria.
Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, spoke in Abuja on Thursday while receiving notification of his selection as the 2026 Politician of the Year by a national newspaper.
He said his decision followed what he described as the decline of his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party, which left him considering his next political direction.
“I did not believe Nigeria should become a one-party state,” Dickson said.
Rather than move to the APC, he said he opted to help establish the NDC as an alternative political platform and strengthen multiparty competition.
“Months down the line, we have built a formidable party and a major opposition platform in Nigeria,” he said.
DICKSON URGES NDC TO FOCUS ON 2027
Dickson thanked NDC leaders, members and supporters for their contributions to the development of the party and acknowledged the roles of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
He urged members to put disagreements arising from the party’s nomination process behind them and concentrate on mobilising support ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the party should direct its efforts towards building its structures and pursuing its electoral objectives through democratic means rather than allowing internal disagreements to dominate its preparations.
CALL FOR PEACEFUL POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
Dickson also called on President Bola Tinubu and security agencies to ensure an environment in which political parties and candidates can campaign peacefully and freely across the country.
He urged electoral stakeholders to support credible elections and called on politicians to respect democratic institutions and established processes for resolving political disputes.
Dickson dedicated the award to NDC members and Nigerians who, he said, supported the establishment of the party and its commitment to multiparty democracy.
His comments place his decision to reject the APC within his stated opposition to one-party dominance, rather than presenting that concern as an established assessment of Nigeria’s political system.
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