Senator Seriake Dickson has formally defected to the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Senator Dickson represents Bayelsa West, and was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, spoke during a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
Senator Dickson said he was defecting from the PDP due to irreconcilable differences which shrunk the party’s umbrella.
He said the PDP has lost its voice on national issues, saying the leadership tussle crippled the party totally.
Consequently, he said the developments compelled him to seek a new political platform that aligns with his current aspirations.
Dickson said his decision to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress followed the party’s recent registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Shortly after his announcement, the leadership of the NDC formally received him into the party.
He was presented with the party’s official flag and issued a membership card numbered “001,” symbolising his status as one of the founding members of the political platform.
Dickson was governor of Bayelsa State from 2012 to 2020 before he was elected to the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the PDP.
His defection comes amid rising concerns over internal divisions within the PDP and a growing wave of defections as political alignments begin ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
