By Joyce Ekeh
Former Bayelsa State Governor and National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has declared that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will win massively in Bayelsa, across the Niger Delta and throughout Nigeria in the 2027 general elections, launching a blistering attack on the All Progressives Congress (APC) over what he described as its failure to deliver meaningful development to the oil-rich region.
Dickson, who expressed confidence in the electoral prospects of the NDC, challenged the APC to point to its achievements in Bayelsa, particularly in infrastructure, roads, bridges and other development projects, insisting that the ruling party had offered little to justify the support of the people.
The former governor made the declaration during a visit to his home state and ancestral community, Toru-Orua, where he was accompanied by Obi and other leaders of the NDC.
In a press statement published on his Facebook page on Sunday, the senator representing Bayelsa West said the political future of the state must be determined by the electorate rather than political pressure, intimidation or inducements.
“I firmly believe that the NDC will win massively in Bayelsa, across the Niger Delta and throughout Nigeria. I made it clear that the APC has nothing to offer Bayelsans; nothing to show in terms of roads and bridges and infrastructure,” Dickson declared.
In a further challenge to the ruling party, the former governor boasted that the APC had never defeated him electorally in Bayelsa, claiming that he had been the major obstacle to its political expansion in the state since 2015.
“The APC never defeated me and they have never won Bayelsa on the ballot. I have been the obstacle stopping them from winning Bayelsa since 2015, even with the defeat of the PDP at the center,” he said.
Dickson’s declaration comes amid growing political realignments in Bayelsa, particularly following Governor Douye Diri’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, a development that has deepened the political disagreement between the former governor and his former political protégé.
Dickson further accused Diri of abandoning the political platform and support system that brought him to power, arguing that the defection had effectively handed Bayelsa’s political advantage to the APC.
He expressed disappointment that a governor he said he personally supported and nurtured politically had aligned with a party he had spent years opposing.
“But the man I brought, believed and trusted with the future of our people donated the state to the APC and now treating me as a political opponent to engratuate himself to the centre, the very people I defeated, without bringing about any benefit to our people from the APC-led federal government,” he said.
Dickson also alleged that political supporters and individuals associated with his political structure had faced intimidation, harassment and dismissal from government appointments following the change in political alignment.
He, however, cautioned his supporters against violence, threats or personal attacks on the governor, despite their political differences.
“As I said, children may deny their father, but fathers do not deny children. The governor is still my person, my brother, my compatriot and our governor. But he is now someone I disagree with, as he and the people in his government are wrong with the direction they are taking our state to,” he stated.
The former governor said he had deliberately avoided making extensive public comments about the political developments in Bayelsa in order to preserve peace and prevent unnecessary tension.
He maintained that his opposition to the APC was rooted in what he described as the absence of tangible federal development projects, adequate political representation and life-changing policies for the Niger Delta.
Calls for resistance against electoral intimidation
Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, Dickson urged NDC members and supporters to mobilise across communities and constituencies, insisting that the party would not tolerate any attempt to manipulate the electoral process.
He specifically warned against electoral intimidation and unlawful interference by security personnel or electoral officials.
“I called on our party members to take this message to their communities and constituencies, assuring them that I would join them in the campaigns. I also urged them to organise and stand against electoral intimidation and any unlawful attempt by security personnel or electoral officials to undermine the will of the people,” he said.
He challenged political parties and candidates who claimed to enjoy popular support to demonstrate it through the ballot box.
“Those who claim to be popular should test that popularity at the polls and allow the votes to count,” Dickson declared.
The NDC leader also sought to position the party within the historical political struggles of the Niger Delta, recalling the contributions of regional political figures and movements to the pursuit of equity, justice and political inclusion.
He specifically referenced Harold Dapabiriye, Chief Melford Okilo, Isaac Adaka Boro, former Bayelsa governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and elder statesman Pa Edwin Clark as part of the political heritage the party hopes to sustain.
He said the NDC represented a tradition of political engagement that sought to advance the interests of the Niger Delta while building a more inclusive Nigeria.
Obi’s Bayelsa visit signals NDC mobilisation
Dickson disclosed that Obi accompanied him on the visit to Bayelsa, where the presidential candidate spent the day and evening with party leaders and supporters.
The delegation included the Director-General of the NDC National Campaign Council, Mallam Ibrahim Abdulkarim, alongside national and state party officials.
The visit featured the commissioning of the party’s state secretariat, meetings with party stakeholders and a reception at Dickson’s country home in Toru-Orua.
NDC candidates for senatorial and other National Assembly positions, as well as the party’s 24 House of Assembly candidates, were also among those who participated in the mobilisation.
Dickson expressed appreciation to party leaders, traditional rulers, chiefs, elders, women and youths who welcomed the delegation.
He also highlighted the cultural activities organised in his honour, including an Ijaw traditional boat regatta in which Obi participated.
The former governor said he had used the occasion to formally introduce Obi to the people of Bayelsa and urge them to support his presidential ambition under the NDC platform.
He also recalled that he had discussed the formation of the NDC with the late Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Dickson’s declaration represents a fresh challenge to the APC’s political ambitions in Bayelsa and the wider Niger Delta, particularly as opposition parties begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.
His criticism of the Tinubu administration centred on what he described as inadequate infrastructure, insufficient federal appointments for the region and the failure to translate the Niger Delta’s enormous natural resources into improved living conditions for its people.
He insisted that the region deserved a stronger voice in national decision-making and greater access to development opportunities.
The former governor urged Bayelsans to reject what he described as political intimidation and make their choices freely at the ballot box.
While Dickson expressed confidence that Obi and the NDC would secure a sweeping victory, the ultimate test of that declaration will come when voters decide the political direction of Bayelsa and the wider Niger Delta in 2027.
