Nasheed Says MDP Delegation Flew to Ghana to Bring Him Back

MALE’ — Mohamed Nasheed says a group of senior MDP figures, led by former party chairperson Fayyaz Ismail, flew to Ghana and spent ten days trying to persuade him to return to the party he founded.

Nasheed, speaking on SanguTV on Wednesday night, said the delegation included Hassan Latheef, Ali Aazim and Mohamed Shifaz. They came to him. He did not go to them.

“Every day they were talking about this,” Nasheed said. “The party needs you, things are going this way, don’t do this. Especially Fayya. Even President Solih has acknowledged that Fayya and I had our differences before. But we are seasoned politicians. We don’t carry grudges forever.”

He said he eventually came back to the Maldives, rejoined the MDP, returned to Ghana, and then came home for good. People had been calling him daily from the Maldives throughout, he said, pressing him on party affairs and urging him to return.

“I thought, fine, there’s still some time left in life. Why am I here trying to sort out Gabon’s problems,” he said. “Come back and deal with Maldivian affairs.”

Nasheed said he has no interest in a large office or an intergovernmental organisation post. He is happiest, he said, in an MDP haruge.

He is now standing for the MDP chairpersonship. His opponent is Galolhu South MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem, who is running with the backing of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.