‘Rebuild or collapse’ — Dickson sounds alarm over PDP’s future

Senator Seriake Dickson has issued a stark warning to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring that Nigeria’s leading opposition party must urgently reorganize or risk disintegration.

The former Bayelsa governor made the remarks in a Facebook post following a high-level consultative meeting of PDP governors, ex-governors, and members of the party’s National Working Committee held on Sunday.

Dickson, who once chaired both the PDP Governors Forum and the party’s national reconciliation committee, said the PDP’s survival depends on the resolve of its governors to take ownership of the party’s revival.

“I hope the governors, who are the operational leaders of the party, follow through with the resolutions,” he said. “They need to work closely together, show greater commitment, galvanise party members and mobilise Nigerians generally.”

Reflecting on the party’s resilience under former President Muhammadu Buhari, Dickson recalled how PDP governors kept the party afloat despite political intimidation and economic hardship.

“We did that under President Buhari, with all the intimidation and harassments, and even in a crippling recession, we did not bulge but kept the party alive, won elections, and handed it over to them,” he said.

He pledged full support for the party’s rebuilding efforts, revealing that a new committee has been set up to recommend solutions to internal disputes and restore unity. “It will be a pleasure to work with others in the committee to advise on ways of resolving all the issues and support the governors to save the party from imminent collapse,” Dickson stated.

His warning comes amid concerns over the growing strength of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), whose national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, recently defended the idea of a one-party state by citing China’s political system.

Though Ganduje claimed the APC is not pursuing a one-party system, his remarks have deepened fears among opposition ranks about the shrinking space for multiparty democracy in Nigeria.