Nigel Hughes admits AFC’s opposition to Norton as presidential candidate sank talks with APNU

…as member signals rift in party leadership over negotiation stance

Amid ongoing talks between Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), AFC leader Nigel Hughes has admitted that his party’s opposition to Aubrey Norton as presidential candidate was a major factor in the breakdown of talks between the two parties.
In a statement he released, Hughes responded to claims that his party had demanded the Presidential candidacy in a grand coalition that would contest the upcoming September 1, 2025 General and Regional elections.

Hughes denied this, admitting that while the AFC did not want Opposition Leader Norton as the presidential candidate, they had proposed former Foreign Affairs Minister and Guyana’s agent before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Carl Greenidge, as one of their compromise candidates.
In the statement Hughes claimed that at no point has the AFC demanded the presidency, but rather AFC has consistently advocated for a consensus candidate, one who commands broad national respect and credibility, and who represents a genuine third-party alternative to entrenched political positions. However, none of the AFC’s proposed potential consensus candidates were accepted by APNU.
Hughes hinted heavily that it was the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) who insisted on a specific candidate, Norton, without compromise. According to the AFC leader, this insistence is what led to talks not progressing between the two parties.

“The AFC remains open to continued dialogue and believes that a coalition based on mutual respect and shared values. However, unity must be built on fairness and consensus—not coercion or unilateralism.”
Another sticking point in the talks between the APNU and the AFC, was the percentage of seat allocation post elections. For instance, AFC had reportedly demanded a 40-60 split of Government positions in APNU’s favour, and the condition that the presidential candidate’s party should not hold the Leader of the List position.
The Leader of the List is a position that controls parliamentary appointments and removal. APNU had rejected these terms and in April, AFC Chairman David Patterson had announced that the party would contest the 2025 elections alone if it had to.
In a social media post of his own, however, AFC Member of Parliament (MP) Sherod Duncan signaled that there is disagreement among the party’s leadership on how much they should demand during these talks. According to Duncan, who was the lone challenger against Hughes for leadership of the party last year, AFC should have been prepared to accept less in the negotiations.
“I would have agreed to 30 per cent and continue to work to build my party from inside Government, while giving maximum recognition to the people who actually do the hard work, not who fly off a coconut tree and land on the ground. Better a slice of bread, than no bread at all and starving outside,” Duncan said.
Over the years the AFC has experienced weakened electoral value as its support base dwindled, with some of the party’s members voicing that the AFC was being unreasonable in the negotiations.
On the APNU side, the PNCR, the largest faction in the coalition, has remained firm that PNCR Leader’s presidential candidacy is non-negotiable. In his comments on the opposition’s failure to coalesce, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had said that the outcome of the negotiations showed that both sides were solely focused on their own gain.