Ahead of the 2027 presidential election 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.
He hinted that those who remained on the sidelines would not be recognised as serious contenders in future polls.
“There’s no doubt that we have a lot of work to do, but what is important is that we have put the convention behind us,” he added.
The disagreement in the PDP led to the emergence of two factions.
While the Tanimu Turaki faction, backed by the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, claims leadership on one side, the group backed by Wike controls the other faction.
The convention held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, in November 2025, snowballed into a series of legal battles, leading to the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirming the judgment of a Federal High Court, which restrained the PDP from conducting the Ibadan convention.
The faction of the party, which has Wike as its national leader, held its national convention in Abuja on March 29.
Over 2,000 delegates elected Abdulrahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu have been elected as substantive National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
Other prominent party members who attended the convention held at the velodrome of the Moshood Abiola Stadium were a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido; a former Senate president, Bukola Saraki; and a former Kaduna State governor, Ahmed Makarfi, among others.