Aggrieved NDC members reject Utomi, Galadima reconciliation committee, call it a charade

Aggrieved members of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) in Edo South Senatorial District have vehemently rejected the party's national reconciliation committee, labeling it a "charade" that fails to address the injustices stemming from its leaders' actions. They argue that a stolen mandate cannot be reconciled away and that injustice does not gain legitimacy simply because a committee is formed to manage the resulting anger.

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A reconciliation committee cannot become a substitute for justice. It cannot be used to paper over disputed primaries, silence legitimate grievances, or compel aggrieved members to accept outcomes they firmly believe were imposed upon them.

On behalf of the aggrieved members, Agbonaye Osazee Ofo stated that the disputed election results cannot be ignored. The members contend that the committee's primary goal is to pressure them into accepting an unfair outcome. "A reconciliation committee cannot become a substitute for justice," the statement reads. "It cannot be used to paper over disputed primaries, silence legitimate grievances, or compel aggrieved members to accept outcomes they firmly believe were imposed upon them."

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This panel was never assembled to heal wounds; it was deployed to enforce compliance.

The core of their grievance lies in the belief that their mandates were manipulated, overturned, or denied. They assert that the NDC leadership's first responsibility should be to establish the truth, rather than assembling a committee and expecting victims of the process to simply move on. "This panel was never assembled to heal wounds; it was deployed to enforce compliance," Ofo explained. "It invites the betrayed to sit at a table set by those accused of betraying them, offering hollow assurances of peace in exchange for surrender."

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It invites the betrayed to sit at a table set by those accused of betraying them, offering hollow assurances of peace in exchange for surrender.

Ofo emphasized that "Unity without justice is not unity. It is forced conformity." He urged the NDC leadership to recognize that political parties strengthen not by suppressing legitimate grievances, but by confronting wrongdoing honestly and correcting it. The group questioned the sincerity of the leadership's commitment to "internal democracy, fairness, inclusiveness and party cohesion," asking where these principles were during the disputed primaries.

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Unity without justice is not unity. It is forced conformity.