Senator Seriake Dickson has declared that democracy cannot thrive in an atmosphere of blind loyalty and political submission.

According to him, there is no place for bootlicking and sycophancy in a true democracy.

On a day meant to celebrate Nigeria’s hard-won democracy, Senator Seriake Dickson delivered a stinging critique of what he described as growing authoritarian tendencies within the current administration—particularly in relation to the situation in Rivers State.

President Bola Tinubu had in separate letters forwarded to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and read at plenary, sought appointments of nominees into Rivers State Electoral Commission, Rivers State Local Government Service Commission and Rivers State Civil Service Commission.
Immediately after the letters were read by Akpabio, Dickson raised a point of order to express his displeasure on the presidential requests but was rebuffed by the Senate President who called on the Senate Leader to move motion for senators to proceed to the House of Representatives for joint session with their counterparts in the House of Representatives.

Angered by the development, Senator Dickson, immediately after the joint session which was addressed by President Tinubu, stormed the press centre at the Senate wing of the National Assembly, to express his anger to journalists.

Speaking to journalists, the Senator representing Bayelsa West said he refused to be “a bootlicker or a sycophant,” asserting that true democracy cannot thrive in an environment of suppression and political manipulation.

“There’s no better time than today to speak the truth,” Dickson said. “You cannot celebrate democracy with one hand while trampling on it with the other. I cannot be a bootlicker. I’m not in politics for contracts or appointments—I’m here because I believe in something bigger than myself.”

The former Bayelsa State governor expressed deep concern over what he called the ongoing “military-style administration” in Rivers State, referencing the controversial appointments communicated by the President to the Senate that morning.
He attempted to raise a constitutional point of order during plenary but was ignored by the Senate President, a move he described as “a blatant suppression” of his rights and privileges as a Senator.

“We all saw it,” he said. “The Senate President brushed aside my point of order and rushed through the communications. That’s not democracy. That’s dictatorship dressed in legislative robes.”

Dickson warned that the precedent being set in Rivers State could have dangerous implications for democracy nationwide. “If today it is Rivers, tomorrow it could be Lagos, Kano, or any other state,” he said. “You can’t declare a state of emergency, sack elected officials, and appoint loyalists to run a state—just because you lost political control. That’s not democracy, that’s a coup by another name.”

While acknowledging the President’s speech as “flowery and impressive in delivery,” he criticised its silence on the Rivers State crisis. “Not a single word was said about restoring democratic rule in Rivers State. That omission speaks volumes,” Dickson added.

He recalled difficult journey to democracy and urged citizens not to lose hope. “There was a time when people were thrown into detention for simply speaking up. Yet we survived. Nigeria survived.

“We must remain vigilant. Democracy is not built by cowards, bootlickers, or psychophants—it is built by people of courage and conviction.”
In his own words,

“Today, this morning, as we were in the Senate chambers, you were all there when the President’s communications about appointments in Rivers State were read by the Senate President as required by the rules. And you were all there when I rose to raise a point of constitutional order, which I am entitled as a Senator to do.

“And the Senate President didn’t pay attention, didn’t respond, didn’t reply, brushed it aside, and then rushed all of us through the communications he read, and then we all went to the House. That, again, is another blatant, suppression and disrespect for my right, my rights and privileges.

“I, or any Senator, by the Constitution and the rules, have a right to raise issues. And by the Senate rules, he has an obligation to listen to it. He’s got a majority behind what he’s doing. His majority can have the way. But my minority must always have my say. I’ll communicate that to the Senate President.

“A lot of us were embarrassed, and ashamed. But that’s about it. The communications were about deepening the undemocratic military rule that is still subsisting in River State. That was why I wanted to raise that point.

“If you have a military administration in the midst of a democracy that we are celebrating today, of all days, why did the president and the Senate president choose today, being Democracy Day in Nigeria, to read those undemocratic and unconstitutional and illegal communications at the chambers and would not even bother to take constructive objections and concerns.

“Well, that tells you how the APC has reduced Nigeria’s democracy to. I take very strong objections to that. And listening to the President’s very flowery, otherwise impressive speech, let me say this: It’s a good thing to utter. Make beautiful declarations of principles and show democratic commitment.

“Words don’t show democratic commitment. What matters is actions, actions and actions. The President touched on some notes that were right, recognising those who fought for democracy. And I was a young man in the trenches myself.
“But you cannot be celebrating democracy. You cannot be flaunting yourself as a democrat on the one hand, and on the other hand be trampling democracy under your big presidential foot.

“The President needs democracy, and on the other hand, missed a golden opportunity to raise and deepen democracy in Nigeria by restoring on today’s democracy day, democratic and normal civil constitutional rule in River State.

“Of all the things the President said, the President was silent about River State. And today is not about democracy. Today is not about repression. Today is not about suppression of the views of the people of River State. Today is about respecting and upholding the democratic rights under the constitution and the laws.”