Bayelsa Senator Quits PDP, Says Party Has Lost Discipline, Unity

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The ranks of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Senate thinned further yesterday as Senator Benson Agadaga, representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, formally dumped the party, citing internal crisis, erosion of discipline, and loss of cohesion as reasons for his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Agadaga declared that his exit from the PDP marked “a time for change” in his political journey, lamenting that the once-formidable political platform had degenerated into chaos.

Agadagba wrote: “This is a notice of my defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress. The Bible says that there is a time for everything. I believe this is the time for me to move on.”

The Bayelsa-born lawmaker, who was elected on the PDP platform, said he reached his decision after deep reflection and wide consultations across political divides, concluding that the PDP had lost its moral compass and sense of purpose.

 “It is most astonishing and deeply disheartening to observe that the world’s largest political party in Africa has been torn into shreds due to internal wrangling. The centre can no longer hold. The umbrella has been bastardised, and it is leaking profusely,” he said.

Agadaga, who has held several key positions in the Bayelsa State Government, recalled his long years of public service, including serving as Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism; Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board; Special Adviser on Establishment Affairs; and Chief of Staff to the state government.

He noted that his rise in politics was made possible by the PDP, when the party was “intact and purposeful,” expressing gratitude to its leaders and members who supported his journey to the National Assembly.

 “The fact that I stand today as a distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is due to the benevolence of the Peoples Democratic Party when it was united and visionary, and to the goodwill of numerous well-wishers,” he said.

However, Agadaga lamented that the party had been overtaken by self-interest and internal discord, which, according to him, had crippled its ability to function as a credible opposition force.