Bayelsa’s political landscape is witnessing a dramatic twist as a cold war brews between Governor Douye Diri and his political godfather, Senator Seriake Dickson, following Diri’s shock defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Senator Dickson, who is widely credited with installing Diri as his successor in 2020 after the Supreme Court nullified the APC’s initial victory, has openly condemned the defection plot, describing it as “a betrayal of democratic balance” and a dangerous step toward a one-party Nigeria.
Speaking to journalists after Wednesday’s Senate plenary, the Bayelsa West lawmaker reaffirmed his allegiance to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring himself “a soldier of democracy” committed to strengthening multiparty politics.
“I am where I have always been. I don’t believe Nigeria should become a one-party state,” Dickson said. “As a democrat, I remain constant and steadfast in the PDP.”
In a sharp swipe at Diri and other PDP governors who have jumped ship, Dickson accused them of abandoning leadership responsibilities with their defection to the APC.
“Instead of fixing the problems, they let the crisis fester and are now bailing out. It makes Nigeria look small, ridicules our democracy, and endangers multiparty politics. What we are witnessing is political class suicide,” he declared.
Insiders revealed that Governor Diri had consulted Dickson several times before finalising his defection but failed to convince his mentor.
“To his credit, he consulted me,” Dickson said. “But I didn’t see any compelling reason to defect. I’m still standing with the PDP — the party that gave our people the opportunity to produce a Vice President, an acting President, and a President. The APC cannot offer that.”
Analysts note that the tension between both men has been simmering since 2023 when Diri began consolidating power independently of the Dickson bloc. The once-solid “Restoration Camp,” which united Bayelsa PDP under Dickson’s leadership, gradually fractured as Diri’s loyalists pushed for autonomy and accused the senator of overbearing influence.
With Diri now in the APC, the ideological split has widened into open confrontation — a duel between loyalty and political survival in a state long regarded as the PDP’s fortress.
“A democracy without opposition becomes a dictatorship,” Dickson warned — a line that now defines the widening gulf between Bayelsa’s former allies turned rivals.