By George OPARA
The reconciliation committee.of the Rivers state chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has failed to politically reconcile post-primary disagreements involving participants of the democratic process for about six days it swung into action.
Spear News Nigeria recalls that the controversial primary poll spanned from May 29 to May 30, 2026.
Insider sources told Spear News Nigeria that the committee’s challenge is the unbent demand of Amb. Blessing Fubara, one of the party’s gubernatorial
aspirants and elder brother to the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Fubara, a known philanthropist and public analyst, is demanding for the results of the governorship primaries covering the 23 local council areas of the state to be made public as a pre-condition for reconciliation.
The crux of the matter is that Fubara is claiming to have won in, at least, 15 council areas but wondered why the results showed he only won in his Opobo/Nkoro Local government area.
It was against this backdrop that Fubara is accusing the state NDC chairman, Comrade Success Jack, and his executive of falsifying the results to the favour of his challenger, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs.
Yet, there are discontents among the senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants who come from Bonny, Ahoada East and Ahoada West local government areas who are endorsing Fubara’s allegations that Comrade Jack allegedly manipulated the results in a hotel at D-Line, Port Harcourt, capital of the state.
While the aspirants who are proponents of the allegation refused to be placated, insisting that the results be made public for scrutiny, the reconciliation committee hurriedly ended its hearing slated for Monday, June 22, 2026.
But Jack, who escaped a mob attack by whiskers at the hotel where he allegedly falsified the result sheets, has maintained that the outcome of the primaries were fair, transparent and credible.
While on a radio programme in the Rivers capital, Spear News Nigeria recalls that Success had insisted that Lulu-Briggs won the primaries in at least 90 percent of the 23 local government areas as his closest rival won only Opobo/Nkoro local government area.
Recall that the NDC had, on June 18, 2026, inaugurated a seven-member Post-Primary Elections and Reconciliation Committee, acting on the directive of the national leadership of the party.
Meanwhile, members of the committee, inaugurated at the NDC secretariat along Aba Road, Port Harcourt, is chaired by Dr. Ephraim Owoh-Etete, with Dr. Onengiye Tamunoigbeinbia Leonard as secretary.
Others are Dr. Patricia W. Ogbonnaya, Hon. Alalibo Fredricks, Hon. Bernard Mikko, Dr. Biokpomabo Awara and Chief Ken Wobo.
Nonetheless, part of the panel’s mandate was to promote unity, strengthening inclusiveness across all levels of the party and facilitating constructive engagement between party candidates and aspirants from the recently concluded primaries.
But a statement from the party secretariat said the establishment of the committee “connotes the party’s commitment to internal democracy, reconciliation, and the collective pursuit of victory in the forthcoming elections.”
While the NDC is hoping to work together to build a stronger, united and more formidable party, the in-fighting among some aspirants and the leadership of the party in the state is threatening the committee’s work.
Consequently, the committee, which had already began its assignment as ordered by the national secretariat, had to suspend its sitting to enable the party to resolve the internal wrangling before going into public hearing of the petitions.
The committee now has declared an indefinite postponement of hearing of petitions from aspirants who were unsatisfied with the conduct and outcomes of the party’s primaries for the various positions.
A memo by the secretary of the committee, Tamunoigbeinbia, indicated that the hearing of complaints and petitions by aspirants, earlier planned for Monday, June 22, 2026, would now hold at a later date and venue.
In the memo dated June 21, 2026, and addressed to all party members who purchased expression of interest forms and other stakeholders, the secretary said the adjustment had become necessary following the party’s engagements and critical functions requiring the attention of the party’s leadership and the committee.
Accordingly, the memo advised all aspirants “who submitted petitions to remain calm and await further communication.
It was also stated that a new date, venue and schedule for the hearings shall be communicated to all parties concerned in due course through the appropriate party channels.
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