Democracy without opposition is authoritarian — Dickson

Seriake Dickson, senator for Bayelsa West, has condemned the wave of defections by political figures, including governors, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that Nigeria’s democracy is gradually sliding into authoritarianism.

The former governor of Bayelsa State said the move by the Tinubu-led administration to weaken opposition parties amounted to an attempt to impose one-party rule in the country.

Speaking to journalists at the National Assembly on Wednesday, a few hours after Governor Douye Diri announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, Dickson said he would not be shaken by the development.

He described those leaving the PDP as individuals “running away from the party after they had destroyed it.”

“I am where I have been. I am where I am. I don’t believe that Nigeria should be a one-party state. And as a soldier of democracy, I’m used to the ups and downs of democratic practices and political life especially. And I’m still as constant as the northern star,” Dickson said.

He reaffirmed his commitment to the PDP, adding that he remains “steadfast in the Peoples Democratic Party and working with colleagues and friends to ensure that problems in the party are solved.”

According to him, Nigeria’s plural society requires a functional and vibrant multiparty democracy and not a one-party system that “breeds dictatorship and authoritarianism.”

Blaming the current crisis in the PDP on poor leadership, Dickson said: “I hope that the governors and the leadership working committee who created this mess in our party, instead of showing leadership, have ensured that it has persisted for this long.

“And they are the ones now bailing out after creating the problem that they could not solve or refused to solve. It’s very sad. Very, very sad. It’s making Nigeria look small and making our country’s democracy look ridiculous.”

He added: “We don’t really know what they are pursuing or what is pursuing them. But whatever it is, it belittles our democracy and endangers our multiparty democracy.”

Dickson confirmed that Governor Diri had consulted him several times about his plan to leave the PDP but said he saw no compelling reason for such a move.
“As in this case, the governor consulted me several times to his credit. And I was not convinced because I didn’t see any compelling reason for a second-term governor to defect,” he said.

Reaffirming his commitment to the PDP, Dickson stated: “I am still standing in the PDP that gave my people, the Ijaw Nation and the Niger Delta people, an opportunity to run for election, to emerge as vice president, acting president and president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This other party cannot do that. And I’m standing there with the PDP.”

He maintained that democracy cannot survive without a viable opposition. “If we don’t succeed in retrieving the PDP or saving the PDP, then we’ll be part of a collective decision, which again should not be the ruling party. Because I believe there must be opposition. A democracy without opposition ceases to be democracy,” he said.
On the nomination of Professor Joash Amupitan as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dickson expressed full support, describing it as a good choice.

“I will be casting my vote, I will be supporting the nomination. And as a member of the Electoral Committee and also a member of the Senate, I will work with colleagues to ensure that the electoral reforms we are championing see the light of day, and that Professor Amupitan is confirmed as Chairman of INEC,” he said.

“We expect him, as a professor of law and a senior advocate of Nigeria, the first senior advocate to be so nominated, to understand his place in history.”