Jonathan 'likely disheartened' as PDP collapses — Senator Dickson

Former Bayelsa State Governor and Senator Seriake Dickson has voiced profound distress over the downfall of the Peoples Democratic Party, noting that former President Goodluck Jonathan must be experiencing immense sorrow as he watches the party that propelled him to the presidency crumble before his eyes.

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Dickson made these comments while appearing as a guest on Channels Television's Politics Today on Tuesday, just weeks after his defection from the PDP to the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress on March 5.

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When questioned about whether he had consulted Jonathan prior to making the move, Dickson stated that although he is not Jonathan's spokesperson, the former president must undoubtedly be filled with sadness, having risen through the ranks of the PDP to become governor, deputy governor, vice president, and president of Nigeria.

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Dickson, who previously governed Bayelsa State under the PDP, described the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a credible alternative for Nigerians seeking a viable opposition platform, stating that it offers a fresh option for those looking for change.

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He emphasized that the NDC's emergence is a significant development, saying "my dear Nigerians, you now have a credible alternative opposition party known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress," and acknowledging that although its launch may have been delayed, it has finally arrived.

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Dickson pushed back against the notion that he and other senior figures had abandoned the PDP, instead framing his departure as an involuntary exit driven by the party's self-destruction, saying "it wouldn't be correct to say that we are leaving the PDP or that I have left the PDP."

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The PDP has been embroiled in a leadership crisis for over a year, with two factions vying for control of the party, leading to a wave of defections that has left the party with only two governors after several others defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress.