Seriake Dickson, senator representing Bayelsa West, says the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) plans to build an enduring ideological political institution similar to the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa.
Dickson, founder of the party, spoke on Saturday at the NDC’s inaugural national convention in Abuja.
According to him, the party was established to promote politics driven by values, service, inclusion and democratic ideals rather than opportunism and personal ambition.
“Our vision is to build an enduring political institution that will outlive all of us; a party founded on values and ideas, much like the ANC in South Africa,” he said.
The former Bayelsa governor said the party will also take cues from major ideological parties across the world, including the Congress Party and BJP in India, the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States, and the Conservative and Labour parties in the United Kingdom.
He said the NDC would prioritise “politics of service, politics of dialogue, politics of consensus-building, politics of inclusion, politics of respect for all Nigerians, politics of unity rather than division”.
NDC WILL REVERSE NIGERIA’S WOES
The former Bayelsa governor said Nigeria currently faces worsening insecurity, economic hardship, poverty and declining public trust in government.
“Our duty in the NDC is to reverse these dangerous trends,” he said.
Dickson also criticised the culture of politicians defecting between parties without ideological conviction.
“We must bring an end to the culture of politicians jumping from one political party to another without ideological conviction,” he said.
“We must build a democratic culture where parties are defined by ideas and values.”
The senator described himself as a longstanding opposition figure who remained committed to opposition politics despite pressure to join the ruling party.
“I resisted every pressure and inducement to join the ruling party — not because I hate anyone, but because some of us must make sacrifices to entrench democracy and preserve multi-party politics in Nigeria,” he said.
Dickson warned against the emergence of a one-party state in Nigeria.
“Any political system without a credible opposition is a dictatorship, and Nigeria must never become a dictatorship — civilian or otherwise,” he said.
The former governor said the NDC would continue to resist authoritarianism and defend multi-party democracy through peaceful political engagement.
“These differences will be decided at the polling units, and not through violence,” he added.
He also urged party members to avoid violence and embrace peaceful and issue-based politics as the party prepares for the 2027 election.
