•Seriake Dickson and NDC logo
National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has described his party as Nigeria’s biggest opposition party.
In a statement released today, Dickson said this is the first time he would be returning to Bayelsa since he founded the NDC and built it “block by block”.
He thanked Nigerians, party candidates, and partners, particularly Presidential Candidate Peter Obi and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, saying, “Today, it has emerged as the biggest national opposition party in our country.”
Dickson stressed that Nigeria’s democracy and multi-party system must survive, reports Daily Trust.
He said the party was currently dealing with what he described as the “legal, contrived shenanigans of anti-democratic forces,” adding that “this, too, shall pass.”
The lawmaker expressed confidence that the judiciary would act according to the law and not allow itself to be used as an instrument to derail democracy.
He also referenced individuals he had raised and supported over the years whom, he alleged, had turned around to weaponise the instruments of government, sack people from office, victimise innocent citizens, spread unfounded propaganda, and repay past goodwill with “wickedness and evil.”
“Yet all the propaganda, incitement, persecution, falsehood, and wickedness directed against me, my family, my community, and my steadfast supporters and friends for almost seven years, without reason or justification, have not swayed you,” he said.
“In spite of it all, you have persevered. You have remained resolute, and you have not buckled.”
Dickson said the courage to say “No” when it is the right answer, and the determination to place ideas, conviction, and principles above personal gain, appointments, and comfort, remain among the legacies he hopes to leave behind.
He emphasised that every government is a servant, not a master, and must remain accountable and honest to the people.
He called on the people to prepare for “non-violent politics; the politics of ideas,” which he said he has consistently championed throughout his public life.
Dickson warned that those whose stock-in-trade is to threaten and intimidate, weaponise government institutions against their own people, and sow violence in communities would once again be put to shame.
“Together, we shall continue to defend democracy, deepen our multi-party system, and build again a Bayelsa and a Nigeria founded on justice, freedom, accountability, the rule of law, and free and fair elections,” he declared.
Reflecting on his political journey, Dickson said some may have forgotten that he is a politician who has “seen it all,” surviving false allegations, failed probes, investigations, and intimidation over nearly two decades.
“I raised and supported men and women across Bayelsa and Ijaw land, and I am still working for our people, working for God, and working for humanity,” he said.
“The God who stood by me has not fallen asleep or taken ill, neither has He travelled. He is still on His throne, watching, recording, and laughing at the acts of petty, wicked, and ungrateful small men.”
