Senator Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa West has asserted that the main reason behind the recent wave of APC defections is that politicians want government backing to commit electoral malpractice and other political crimes without consequences.

Mr Dickson said membership in the ruling party comes with unconstitutional perks, including unlawful access to INEC, the police, and other security outfits to do their bidding, even when it is against the law.

“Every opposition election is battle,” Mr Dickson said at a workshop organised by the Alliance for Democratic Change on Monday. “They will kill people, and nothing happens. That’s why they are running to ruling party so that they can give them police, army, security, and INEC fake results.”

The former Bayelsa governor said the real motive behind defections to the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections is the “commission of crimes, pure and simple.”

“Every election, they have been giving opposition leaders fake results. They want to take advantage of that,” claimed the former governor.

Mr Dickson said the excuse that defectors want to “connect to the centre” of government affairs was a “lie” because federal projects in any state are not based on the party membership of its leaders.

His statement comes weeks after Governor Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and works minister Dave Umahi dumped the PDP for the ruling APC. There are also speculations that Governor Ademola Adeleke is planning to pitch his tent with President Bola Tinubu ahead of the governorship election.

Senators like Ned Nwoko (Delta), Neda Imasuen (Edo), formerly of the Labour Party, Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South) have all defected to the APC as a new election season nears.