James Bond blasts PNCR leaders for botching election petition

Attorney-at-Law James Bond

In the wake of the High Court’s Monday dismissal of the People’s National Congress’s (PNC) second election petition, party member James Bond has blasted party leaders who botched the petition and gave the court grounds for throwing it out due to its late service.
Bond, who once represented the PNC as a Member of Parliament and party executive, wasted little time in taking to social media, where he released a statement urging the party leaders who played a role in organising the election petition to resign. He labelled the errors that led to the petition being thrown out as “gross incompetence.”

The post made by former PNC Executive James Bond

“The entire leadership of APNU/AFC who had anything to do with the planning and execution of the election petition should resign immediately. This is gross incompetence. This is madness! This is what we slaved for.”
Bond noted that the botching of the election petition is symptomatic of a clique or cabal who want to “control everything.” He further told his thousands of followers on social media that when PNC party leaders “come for your vote at congress, ask them what part they played in the election petition.”
But the attorney-at-law was not done with that statement. He made another, even more personal appeal to his supporters and recalled the sacrifices he personally made during the election campaign leading up to the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon

“We deserve better leadership than this. Imagine campaigning for months, close down my office, spend my money, give of my time, sleepless nights… then (PNC/APNU+AFC) go and mess it up just so,” Bond said, going on to lambast the PNC leadership as “incompetent.”
Bond has in the past had very harsh words for the PNC leadership and former President David Granger, criticising their leadership style and the fact that the party shut out several party stalwarts including Chairwoman Volda Lawrence from the APNU/AFC parliamentary list for the 12th Parliament.
On Monday, acting Chief Justice Roxane George dismissed the second elections petition filed by the APNU/AFC seeking to vitiate the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Former President and Leader of PNCR David Granger

In election petition 99p2020, Chief Justice George found that Granger, the leader of the APNU/AFC’s List of Candidates and the second named respondent in the case, was not properly served according to the rules outlined in the National Assembly Validity of Elections Act.
CJ George also found that Granger is a necessary and proper party in the proceedings since the list he represents stands to be affected.
As a consequence of the late service, Petition 99 – filed by Monica Thomas and Brennan Nurse – was declared a nullity and dismissed.
Granger was served on September 25, 2020, which is 10 days after the petition was filed on September 15.
However, lawyers for the petitioners had asked the court to overlook the deficiencies in the service of the petition on Granger, who is the second respondent and Head of the APNU/AFC’s List of Candidates, hence, spare their petition from being tossed out. (G3)