Nyesom Wike, the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has announced an open door policy for former members who wish to rejoin the party, declaring that the internal turmoil has abated.
Speaking at a media conference in Abuja on Friday, Wike compared politics to a football match rather than a “fight to finish.”
He urged aggrieved politicians to set aside personal differences for the sake of the party’s progress.
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The former governor of Rivers State addressed the consequences from the party’s recent national convention, emphasising that the party was now focused on reconciliation and rebuilding its ranks and that the time for internal squabbling had passed.
“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 crisis. Now the crisis is over. Do we still have to shut our doors? No. Certainly not,” Wike said.
The minister disclosed that a number of former PDP members had already expressed their desire to rejoin, pointing out that the political climate was becoming more and more favourable for those who were prepared to carry out the work.
Wike also berated the do-or-die mentality that is sometimes connected to Nigerian politics, arguing that it prevented reconciliation.
He presented the party’s current problems as a miscommunication rather than a long-term split.
“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.
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Additionally, Wike cautioned prospective candidates that hard work and visibility were more important for achieving political relevance than title alone.
He implied that people who stayed out of the race would not be acknowledged as viable candidates in upcoming surveys.
“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.
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