By Joy Odor, Abuja
A political thunderbolt has struck Bayelsa State. Distinguished Senator Benson Agadaga, representing Bayelsa East and chairing the powerful Senate Committee on Oil and Gas Host Communities has abandoned the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), setting off a chain reaction that could rewrite the state’s power architecture ahead of the fiercely anticipated 2027 elections.
What unfolded during a media parley with online journalists in National Assembly on Wednesday was not a ceremonial change of party colours; it was a dramatic unpacking of the fault lines tearing through Nigeria’s democracy and the cold calculations shaping high-stakes politics in the South-South.
Senator Agadaga, a long-time PDP loyalist and beneficiary of the party’s dominance, began with a nostalgic nod to the past recalling the years when Bayelsa was the “bedrock of PDP,” anchored by the towering national presence of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
But the nostalgia ended abruptly.
“Change is the only permanent thing in life,” he declared. “And when the future becomes bleak, you must look for a better alternative.”
What followed was a blunt diagnosis of a party in decline. The PDP, once Africa’s largest political machine, is now, he said, besieged by internal fractures: parallel leadership, blurred direction, and a weakening capacity to offer political security to its own.
“The centre could no longer hold,” he said.
Responding to questions on whether his exit was hasty, Agadaga pushed back sharply.
“I consulted widely former presidents, elders, stakeholders, party executives. Advice came from everywhere. But the final decision was mine.”
The APC, he argued, offers not only stability but strategic access to federal power at a moment when Bayelsa’s future hinges on political alignment rather than political nostalgia.
For years, Bayelsa’s political theatre has been a two-party battleground PDP in control, APC operating on the margins. But Agadaga’s defection, he believes, is reshaping the state’s political climate.
“The major actors now understand each other. For the first time in years, tension has come down. The era of do-or-die politics is ending.”
His move has already lowered the temperature in a state long accustomed to rivalry and confrontation.
The political landscape, he suggested, is drifting toward cooperation rather than combat.
Pressed on whether cross-carpeting weakens democratic values, Agadaga offered a candid assessment:
“Nigeria doesn’t have ideological parties. People go where their people can benefit.”
It was a remarkable admission and a stinging commentary on the country’s democracy, where political platforms function not as ideological institutions but as vehicles for access to infrastructure, federal benefits, and influence.
A key part of his calculation is the perceived goodwill of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu toward Bayelsa.
“At this early stage, the President has done so much for us. He has shown love. We must reciprocate by joining the mainstream to push his agenda to a good conclusion.”
For a state long positioned as a political minority, he framed the APC as Bayelsa’s most promising route into national relevance.
On rising insecurity across the Niger Delta, Agadaga insisted Bayelsa remains one of Nigeria’s safest states.
“If there are bandits, they are from outside. The federal government must collaborate with us.”
With oil assets, international companies, and key revenue infrastructure rooted in Bayelsa, he argued that the stability of the state is non-negotiable for Nigeria’s economic health.
Senator Agadaga’s departure is more than a personal political gamble, it is a signal of deeper shifts in the country’s power alignment.
With no ideological anchors, Nigerian politics is fluid, unpredictable, and driven by access to federal grids of influence.
As 2027 draws near, his move may be the first major tremor in a rolling political earthquake poised to redefine alliances in the South-South.
And his final warning was unmistakable:
“When the future becomes uncertain, you move to secure it.”
Bayelsa’s political journey has just entered a new chapter one that promises intrigue, tension, and a radical rebalancing of power.
