…calls on former members to return to PDP base
As 2027 presidential election approaches and the internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election is for personal gains.
Every politics is local. What is the issue here? I am not working for Mr President for whatever I will get. No, it is not correct,” Wike said at a media parley at his residence in Abuja on Friday. 
“I am not a governor. I can tell you today, as I said, I am supporting the President, not just in Rivers.
“Nigerians know right from 2023 that I said I was supporting the President. If I want to play a game, I am resigning to run for the presidency. Can’t I do that?”
The former governor also said the internal wrangling rocking the party had subsided, encouraging former members who have left the party to return.
The minister who equated politics to a game of football rather than a “fight to finish” called on aggrieved politicians to set aside personal differences for the sake of the party’s progress.
According to him, the time for internal bickering had passed, stressing that the party was now focused on reconciliation and rebuilding its ranks.
“As far as I’m concerned, the convention has come and gone. People are trooping in. I will say, the door is open. Yes, we have had a crisis. Now the crisis is over. Do we still have to shut our doors? No. Certainly not,” Wike said.
The minister revealed that several members who had previously dumped the PDP had already signalled their intention to return, noting that the political environment was becoming increasingly acceptable for those ready to do the work.
The former Rivers State governor also took a swipe at the do-or-die mentality often associated with Nigerian politics, suggesting that such an approach made reconciliation impossible.
“Politics is not a fight to finish. It’s like a game, like a football. If you see it as a do-or-die, it becomes difficult to reconcile. For us, it’s not that way.
“We have had our differences, but if you’re really sincere, there’s nothing left. We can do it together and move the party forward,” he said.
Wike warned that political relevance was earned through visibility and hard work, not title alone.
