Former Bayelsa governor backs Peter Obi to win Bayelsa, the Niger Delta and Nigeria as he criticises Governor Douye Diri’s APC alignment ahead of the January 16 presidential election.

Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and former governor of Bayelsa State, has predicted a sweeping electoral victory for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Bayelsa, the Niger Delta and across Nigeria during a political visit to Toru-Orua, his home community in Bayelsa State, on Sunday, November 1, 2026.

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Dickson expressed confidence that Obi would secure victory in the January 16, 2027 presidential election, urging Bayelsans and Nigerians to support the NDC while sharply criticising the All Progressives Congress (APC) over what he described as its failure to deliver meaningful development to the Niger Delta.

The visit, which brought Obi together with Dickson and other senior NDC figures, provided an opportunity for the former governor to make his political position clear ahead of an increasingly competitive election season.

In a statement shared on his Facebook page, Dickson challenged the APC’s political influence in Bayelsa, insisting that his political organisation had remained a formidable obstacle to the party’s electoral ambitions in the state.

“The APC never defeated me and they have never won Bayelsa on the ballot. I have been the obstacle stopping them from winning Bayelsa since 2015, even with the defeat of the PDP at the centre,” Dickson said.

The former governor also questioned what the APC could offer Bayelsa residents, particularly regarding infrastructure development.

He accused the ruling party of failing to provide meaningful roads, bridges and other essential infrastructure across Bayelsa and the wider Niger Delta.

His remarks reflect the continuing political contest over the region, where infrastructure, environmental concerns, economic opportunities and the distribution of oil wealth remain significant issues for voters.

Dickson also addressed his strained political relationship with Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri, whose defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in November 2025 altered the state’s political landscape.

The senator accused Diri of taking the state towards a political direction he disagreed with, despite having supported the governor’s emergence and political journey.

However, Dickson was careful to distinguish their political disagreement from their personal relationship, describing the governor as a brother and compatriot.

“The governor is still my person, my brother, my compatriot and our governor. But he is now someone I disagree with, as he and the people in his government are wrong with the direction they are taking our state to,” he said.

Diri announced his resignation from the PDP on October 15, 2025, before formally joining the APC on November 3, 2025.

The move represented a significant political realignment in a state where the PDP had maintained considerable influence for decades.

The development has also created a more complicated political environment for Dickson, who governed Bayelsa from February 2012 until February 2020 and remains an influential figure in the state’s political affairs.

Dickson said he had deliberately avoided making extensive public comments about the political developments in Bayelsa to prevent unnecessary tension and preserve peace.

Nevertheless, he urged his supporters and residents to make their political choices known ahead of the 2027 elections.

He appealed for restraint, cautioning against threats, verbal attacks and violence directed at political opponents.

His appeal for peaceful participation adds an important dimension to the emerging campaign, particularly as political disagreements between former allies become more pronounced.

The visit also carries significance for the NDC’s broader electoral strategy. The party has positioned Obi as its presidential candidate, with former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as his running mate.

The party recently constituted its National Campaign Council, appointing Dickson as chairman and Obi as co-chairman.

Kwankwaso was named co-vice-chairman, while the wider structure includes national and state-level campaign representatives.

The appointments indicate an effort to combine political experience and regional mobilisation as the party seeks to establish a nationwide electoral presence.

Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party, enters the 2027 contest with an established national profile and a significant support base, although the move to the NDC introduces a different political platform and coalition structure.

Bayelsa’s previous presidential voting figures offer some perspective on the challenge ahead. During the 2023 election, former vice-president Atiku Abubakar of the PDP secured 68,818 votes in the state, while Obi received 49,975 votes under the Labour Party. Bola Tinubu of the APC polled 42,572 votes.

The figures demonstrate that Obi attracted substantial support in Bayelsa during the previous presidential contest, but did not emerge as the state’s leading candidate.

For the NDC, the task will therefore involve converting existing support into a broader electoral coalition while attracting voters who previously supported other political parties.

Dickson’s political record also provides context for his confidence. He defeated former governor Timipre Sylva of the APC in the 2015 Bayelsa governorship contest, securing 134,998 votes against Sylva’s 86,852 in the final results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in January 2016.

However, the state’s electoral history is more complex than a straightforward account of APC defeats. In the November 2019 governorship election, APC candidate David Lyon initially secured more votes than PDP candidate Douye Diri.

The Supreme Court subsequently disqualified the APC ticket over discrepancies involving the deputy governorship candidate’s nomination documents, paving the way for Diri to be declared governor in February 2020.

The distinction is relevant to Dickson’s political argument and the wider contest over the APC’s electoral record in Bayelsa.

INEC has fixed Saturday, January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections, with governorship and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for February 6, 2027.

As preparations gather momentum, Dickson’s endorsement represents a significant show of political support for Obi in the Niger Delta.

However, the former governor’s prediction remains a campaign assessment rather than an indication of an established electoral outcome.

The strength of the NDC’s appeal will ultimately depend on its ability to translate political alliances, public endorsements and campaign promises into measurable support at the ballot box.

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For now, Dickson has made his position unmistakable: he wants Bayelsa and the wider Niger Delta to become a decisive foundation for Obi’s presidential ambition, while urging supporters to pursue that objective through peaceful democratic participation.