Former Bayelsa State governor and senator, Seriake Dickson, has claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party has effectively ceased to exist in its original form, citing internal crises and leadership failures as key reasons for its decline.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Dickson described the once-dominant party as having “been killed” and “buried,” expressing deep concern over its current state.
“The PDP that I joined and believed in has since been destroyed,” he said, reflecting on the party’s historical achievements, including producing presidents such as Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and Goodluck Jonathan. According to him, the party no longer mirrors the structure Nigerians once trusted.
Dickson attributed the party’s woes to leaders’ inability to compromise and place the collective interest above personal ambition. “People must agree to be reasonable and prioritize the party and the country over personal gain,” he said.
He also noted that several reconciliation efforts, including caretaker arrangements, were ignored despite his active involvement in past party reconciliation committees. “It won’t be correct to say I left the PDP. The PDP, unfortunately, has left us,” he added.
Dickson warned that the party’s deterioration represents a setback for Nigeria’s democracy, emphasizing the PDP’s critical role as both a ruling party and opposition in shaping the nation’s political landscape.
