Nigel Hughes was masterfully outplayed by Aubrey Norton

Dear Editor,
It would be recalled that since the split of the APNU+AFC coalition, Vice President and General Secretary of the PPP/C, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, had predicted that the AFC would, before the national elections, unashamedly crawl right back to the APNU, begging to be re-consumed into the façade of an APNU+AFC coalition. Yesterday (June 18, 2025), that prediction manifested quite beautifully, though not surprisingly.
At the outset of the so-called coalition talks between the two parties, AFC had put to the APNU a presumptuous proposal demanding 55% of the seats in the National Assembly, which was outrightly and correctly rejected by the APNU leader, Aubrey Norton.
Subsequently, in a bravado exhibition, the AFC emboldens their presumptuousness by declaring that they will contest the elections alone, knowing full well that their demise at the polls would be guaranteed.
As the AFC’s internal divide and disenchanted members deepened, which played out yesterday with the defections of that party’s youngest members to the APNU, unknowingly to the party apparently, the AFC was forced into a retreat, which saw them “eating their vomit” by running back to the APNU with a desperately downscaled proposal from demanding 55% of the seats down to 35%, which was again, rightly and correctly rejected by the APNU in the circumstances.
These developments flew in the face of Nigel Hughes, who fallaciously presented himself as an inspirational leader for the youths, especially. Yet, under his leadership, he has failed to attract new members to the party. Instead, the inverse occurred.
A brief review of Nigel Hughes’ tenure since retaking, by way of hijacking, the AFC’s leadership:
On June 29, 2024, Hughes won the AFC leadership at the party’s 8th National Congress. Thereafter, he immediately called for a 10–15-year national development plan. This was a plea made to other political parties whereby a special public request was made by him for the leadership of the PPP/C to engage him on this front. This was despite the AFC’s existence for some two (2) decades, bearing in mind that he previously served as the party’s leader as well. This, in my assessment, was a subtle way of accepting that the AFC lacks the capability to develop an original national development plan, much less public policies.
One year following his election to the party’s helm, he publicly opposed the trend of students sitting 20+ CSEC subjects, calling it impractical and unsustainable. He also criticised the GOAL scholarship programme, despite its widespread uptake, arguing it doesn’t suit Guyana’s realities.
It would be recalled, too, that his dishonesty was exposed in connection with his contract with ExxonMobil Guyana (EMGL). When asked about this, he had disclosed, unequivocally, should his client’s interest conflict with the country’s, his client’s interest shall prevail. After being brutally criticised for this by the PPP/C General Secretary and this author, he then backpedalled—stating that he was not the attorney representing EMGL, which was quickly disproved when a video surfaced of a Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) hearing in a case involving EMGL, wherein he was in fact the attorney representing EMGL.
Simultaneously, Nigel Hughes was actively working to undermine Aubrey Norton with the hope that he would have been supported to somehow become a “consensus presidential candidate” to lead the APNU/AFC coalition. Aubrey Norton, being the smarter and more seasoned politician than Nigel Hughes, who is a fake sophisticate, survived Hughes’ machinations to have him ousted, thereby crushing Hughes ambition, thus proving that Hughes is politically inept and daft.
As the national elections near with less than three months remaining, these developments in the political landscape are quite entertaining as they unfold, proving what we knew a long time ago and predicted: that Nigel Hughes is a fake sophisticate, lacks substance, is discreditable, and is hugely politically inept.

Sincerely,
Joel Bhagwandin