People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has strongly criticised the Alliance for Change (AFC) for lacking a developmental plan for Guyana and for evading accountability regarding its role in the 2020 General and Regional Elections.
Speaking at a press conference held at Freedom House on Thursday, Dr Jagdeo labeled the AFC as “duplicitous,” accusing the party of creating distractions to avoid addressing critical issues.
“This party is even more duplicitous than the PNC, and it gets help from some elements in the media…You will hear a lot of noise during the course of the week; in fact, contrived, created situations to get them into the news. The issuance of ten press releases during the week that make no sense whatsoever…” Dr Jagdeo stated.
He highlighted the AFC’s failure to publish its promised oil and gas plan and to review its role in the 2020 elections, as previously committed, Dr. Jagdeo accused the party of creating “smokescreens” and shifting focus weekly to evade core matters, adding, “They hope they can just, by ignoring it, we will forget it, that the country will forget it.”
Election Rigging Allegations
Dr. Jagdeo also illuminated the AFC’s alleged role in the 2020 General and Regional Elections, noting that the party has avoided taking responsibility for its actions. The March 2, 2020, Commission of Inquiry, along with regional and international observer missions, found that key members of the AFC, as part of the APNU+AFC coalition, were involved in an elaborate attempt to rig the election results.
Notably, three former AFC members—Trevor Williams, Dominic Gaskin, Leonard Craig—and current member Michael Carrington- publicly acknowledged that the APNU+AFC lost the 2020 elections and attempted to alter the results to deny the PPP/C its victory. “They don’t want to account for their lies,” Jagdeo said, underscoring the AFC’s alleged electoral misconduct.
Despite public calls for accountability, AFC Leader Nigel Hughes has refused to issue an apology, citing the need for an internal review of the party’s actions during the elections. This process has yet to commence. Instead, Hughes has blamed the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the delay.
GECOM’s Response and AFC’s Delays
GECOM has refuted claims made by Hughes and AFC Executive Member David Patterson, labeling their statements as disinformation. According to GECOM, the AFC initially requested a meeting in September 2024 to discuss electoral integrity issues. However, the party delayed its response to GECOM’s subsequent correspondence, citing overseas travel by key executives.
The AFC eventually outlined its concerns, including rejecting biometrics for electoral processes, voting timelines for party scrutineers, and purging non-resident and deceased individuals from the voters’ list. GECOM responded by inviting the AFC to a meeting on December 3, 2024, but no response had been received as of press time.
Dr. Jagdeo’s remarks highlight the ongoing challenges of holding the AFC accountable for its actions and the party’s reluctance to engage in constructive discussions about Guyana’s development.
Research into the Alliance for Change (AFC) voter base confirms that the party lacks a significant support network across Guyana. Unlike the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and the People’s National Congress (PNC), which have well-established and enduring voter bases in all 10 regions, the AFC has no substantive grassroots support.
AFC leader Nigel Hughes is reportedly attempting to attract and hijack PNC supporters to establish a database. However, this effort has been resisted, particularly by Afro-Guyanese voters. In addition, Indo-Guyanese voters have distanced themselves from the AFC due to its past betrayal of sugar workers and rice farmers in regions such as Berbice and Essequibo, which has no support among the Indo-Guyanese voters.
The pressing question for Hughes remains: “Who constitutes his voter base in Guyana?” Both the PPP and the PNC would be well-advised to disregard Hughes’ political maneuvers, as his party lacks the foundational support to influence Guyana’s electoral landscape meaningfully. Engaging with Hughes or the AFC on this front appears futile, given the party’s negligible presence among the electorate. It is for Aubrey Norton to ask Nigel Hughes to show him proof of his vote bank. He would be stunned to learn that Nigel Hughes has nothing to offer Aubrey Norton.