GECOM investigating refusal to swear in PPP/C candidates

Toevlugt/Patentia election controversy

After reports of two People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Toevlugt-Patentia candidates being refused their Oath of Office surfaced, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is now undertaking to rectify the matter.
This is according to PPP/C Executive Secretary Zulfikar Mustapha who told Guyana Times on Monday that the Party has been in contact with GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield.

While Mustapha could not speak to the status of the investigation, he highlighted that the Party remained hopeful that the situation could be resolved. To ascertain the status of the investigation, GECOM Public Relations Officer (PRO) Tamara Rodney was contacted.
Rodney informed, however, that she was “still to follow up with the CEO”.

At a meeting on Friday last at the Good Intent Office, West Bank Demerara, Overseer of the Local Authority Area of Toevlugt/Patentia in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Glenis Castello prevented candidates Saheed Khan and Ravi Chandra Rickhee from taking their Oath of Office.
Her justification was that the name of these candidates did not appear on the list of names of Councillors which she had in her possession.
Guyana Times was told of an apparent mix-up with two lists – the first of which included the names of some persons “who weren’t too capable” and the other list that was sent had been “prepared by everyone”. It was disclosed that the Overseer possessed the “wrong list”.
“They kind of did it behind closed doors, some people tried to by-pass the system,” one individual close to the council disclosed.
As the PPP/C attained a majority in the Toevlugt-Patentia NDC following the March 18 Local Government Elections (LDC), Saheed Khan was tipped for the post of NDC Chairman. In light of the series of events that unfolded, Councillor Mark Khan was sworn in as Chairman.
It is expected that once GECOM sorts out the matter and Saheed Khan takes his Oath of Office, the other Khan will resign and allow the intended Chairman to take up his position and lead the Council.
In a statement issued by the PPP/C on April 2, it was noted that the two Councillors displayed to the Overseer and all other Councillors, their Certificate of Election which had been issued by GECOM on March 22.
“We are calling upon the Chief Elections Officer to rectify this unfortunate impasse with every convenient speed. Anything less will be a subversion of the will of the electorate in this Local Authority Area,” the PPP/C had added.