Nigeria’s political culture is dying, time to reclaim lost ideals — Dickson

By Henry Umoru ABUJA — National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, has raised the alarm over what he described as the decline of Nigeria’s political culture, calling for a return to the ideals, values and sacrifices that shaped the country’s early democratic politics. Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, spoke on Saturday at his private residence in Abuja during an epochal reunion of former leaders and associates of the Alliance for Democracy, AD. The gathering, tagged “Epochal Homecoming Reunion of the Old Guard Alliance for Democracy”, was organised under the aegis of the NDC with the theme, “Reclaiming Our Moral Mandate: A National Democratic Conversation for a Reborn Polity.” The event provided an opportunity for members of the political generation to reflect on their roles in Nigeria’s return to democratic rule and the principles that shaped their political activism.

Dickson said the political environment that inspired the formation of the AD was significantly different from what obtains today, stressing that political participation at the time was driven by ideology, commitment and personal sacrifice rather than financial inducements. “At that time, nobody had money to give to anybody. Money was not the most important currency of politics at that time.

What was important then was ideals, values and commitment,” he said. The former governor, who was the founding state chairman of the AD in Bayelsa, recalled that despite its limited resources, the party successfully challenged powerful political interests and won governorship elections in all six South-West states. “We had our Alliance for Democracy.

We were winning elections — six states. The people who had money, those who controlled the establishment, the resources and the power, could not stop us,” he said. Dickson also recalled his experience as a young activist and lawyer building the AD in Bayelsa State, noting that the party’s success was driven by grassroots mobilisation and commitment to its ideals.

“How could I, a young, loyal, idealistic ideologue and activist, lead a party against a big establishment politician in Bayelsa and yet become a senator and produce three members of the House of Assembly?” he asked. He said members of the movement often financed party activities from their personal resources and supported candidates who could not afford…