By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District and a former governor of the state, Seriake Dickson, has described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as “sick and presently in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).”
Dickson stated this at a ‘world press conference’ held on Thursday, March 5, at his residence in Abuja, while announcing his defection from the PDP to the newly-registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The former governor noted that the opposition party that once dominated Nigeria’s political landscape had significantly declined over the years.
Dickson, while expressing sadness over the current state of the PDP, noted that the party, which once brought hope and excitement to his people, had become gravely ill.
He also accused some PDP governors of further diminishing the party’s strength by aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which he said contributed to worsening the party’s internal crisis and weakened its strength as a viable opposition platform.
The senator noted that the crisis within the party informed his decision to join the NDC, one of the two newly-registered political parties approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He added that joining the NDC was necessary for him to move forward with his political career on a platform that reflects his current political aspirations.
The former governor was formally welcomed into the NDC by its leadership shortly after his speech.
He was presented with the official flag of the party and issued a membership card bearing the number “001.”
