Senator Dickson, while reacting to the defection of the
incumbent governor of his state, Duoye Diri after Senate plenary on Wednesday
in Abuja, however threw his weight behind the nomination of Professor Joash
Amupitan as the new Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC.

Although he admitted that Governor Dir consulted him several
times on his plan to dump the PDP, Dickson said he was never convinced as there
was no compelling need for the defection, particularly for a second term
governor.

Nigeria, according to him, being a plural society, deserves
functional and vibrant multiparty democracy and not one party one which breeds
dictatorship and authoritarianism.

He said: “I am where I have been. I am where I am. I don’t
believe that Nigeria should be a one-party state. And as a soldier of
democracy, I’m used to the ups and downs of democratic practices and democratic
life, and political life especially. And I’m still as constant. As a northern
star.

“Steadfast in the Peoples Democratic Party. and working with
my colleagues and friends to ensure that problems in the party are solved.

“I hope that the governors and the leadership working
committee who created this mess in our party, all of them, and who instead of
showing leadership, have created this mess and ensured that it has persisted
for this long.

“And they are the ones now bailing out after creating the
problem that they could not solve or refuse to solve. It’s very sad. Very, very
sad. It’s making Nigeria look small and making our country’s democracy look
ridiculous.

“We don’t really know what they are pursuing or what is
pursuing them. But whatever it is, it belittles our democracy and endangers our
multi-party democracy.

“I believe in a multi-party Nigeria. A plural Nigeria can
only thrive on a plural democratic environment. That’s what has happened. But
on the specifics of Bayelsa, you know, since I left and handed over to all the
members who used to be part of my team, and I left, unlike others who are
godfathers, I’ve not been a godfather. Left everything. No requests, no
demands, no pressure. Only being available for consultation and advice.

“As in this case, the governor consulted me several times to
his credit. And I was not convinced because I didn’t see any compelling reason
for a second-term governor to defect.

“I’m just using this to say that I am still standing. in the
PDP that gave my people (the Ijaw Nation) and the Niger Delta people an
opportunity to run election, to emerge as vice president of this country,
acting president of Nigeria, and president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,

“This other party cannot do that. And I’m standing there
with the PDP. If and when, if we don’t succeed in retrieving the PDP, in saving
the PDP, then we’ll be part of a collective decision, which again, should not
be the ruling party.

“Because I believe there must be opposition. A democracy
without opposition ceases to be democracy.”

On Amupitan, he said President Tinubu has made a very good
choice and he will fully support confirmation of his appointment anytime the
Senate screens him.

“I will be casting my vote, I will be supporting the
nomination. And as a member of the Electoral Committee, and also a member of
the Senate, I will work with colleagues to ensure that the electoral reforms we
are championing see the light of day, and that Professor Amupitan is confirmed
as Chairman of INEC.

“We expect him, as a professor of law and a senior advocate
of Nigeria, the first senior advocate to be so nominated, to understand his
place in history.”