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Dickson Fires Back at Critics, Denies NDC-APC Secret Alliance

Samuel AkpanMarch 31, 20262 Mins read213

Senator Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has dismissed allegations that the party is a “surrogate” for the ruling APC.

Speaking on AIT’s Focus Nigeria, the former Bayelsa State Governor asserted the NDC’s total autonomy, rejecting claims that it was created to fracture the opposition.

Dickson emphasized that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) registered the party in strict adherence to legal protocols and a specific court directive.

He further clarified that because INEC has already complied with the judicial order and no pending lawsuits challenge the party’s status, the NDC’s registration is now legally irreversible.

Dickson dismissed reports suggesting either INEC or the APC intends to contest the registration in court, calling such suggestions completely unfounded.

“I’m used to this kind of bully tactics,” he said, adding that he remains “not someone who is swayed by propaganda and blackmail.”

Sen. Dickson doubled down on his independence, flatly rejecting any suggestion that he is working for President Bola Tinubu.

“No one has opposed President Tinubu’s policies and administration more than I have,” he declared, pointing to his voting record in the Senate as definitive proof.

He framed the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) not as a splinter group, but as a principled “ideological platform” designed to unite Nigerians with shared democratic values.

While Dickson noted the party is open to dialogue with other political movements, he underscored that the NDC maintains no formal alliances with any existing party.

He emphasised the constitutional freedom of association, stating, “No one can blackmail or bully me or any other Nigerian to belong to a party or form a party or take one view or the other. That’s blackmail, and you don’t do that.”

Addressing calls for him and his supporters to merge into platforms such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or the Labour Party, Dickson insisted that Nigerians deserve the right to make their own choices.

“Democracy means you have the right and the freedom to be in the ADC, to be in the APC… to be in the Labour Party… and… thousands of Nigerians… also have a right to be in the NDC,” he said.

“We have no duty or obligation to belong to the ADC or to be available to support any presidential aspirant that people support.”

He alleged that many self-proclaimed opposition figures actually maintain close ties with the current administration, remarking that “most of the people who say they are opposition… are the people in bed with the present administration.”Dickson, however, affirmed his own consistency, saying he has always spoken out on national issues regardless of pressure.

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he framed the backlash against the NDC as typical of how new movements are received: “First they will ignore you, then they will laugh at you, then they will attack you… and when that happens, then you win.”

Rather than dissolving into the ADC, APC or any other party, the lawmaker—who represents Bayelsa West Senatorial District in the 10th Senate—made it clear that the NDC is entering the political arena to compete directly against the established heavyweights.

“The NDC will field candidates for all positions in the next general elections, from the Presidency all the way down to the state houses of assembly, and even the council polls,” he said.

Dickson affirmed that the NDC will remain focused on expanding its grassroots support and cementing its role as a credible “Third Force.”

He noted that as Nigeria’s political alliances continue to shift, the party is strategically positioning itself to offer a genuine, principle-driven alternative to voters in future elections.