Three nominate for North Abaco battle

COOPER’S TOWN, Abaco —  Three candidates nominated yesterday to run in the North Abaco by-election, as the two major political parties and their leaders descended on the constituency.

As expected, the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) Renardo Curry, the Free National Movement’s (FNM) Greg Gomez and the Bahamas Constitution Party’s Ali McIntosh all nominated.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was among those who accompanied Gomez.  Ingraham represented the area since 1977.

He faced off against Curry in the recent general election, winning by just under 400 votes.

Curry was the last to arrive at the nomination site at the Cooper’s Town Administrative Complex.

He was in a motorcade of more than 20 cars, led by a vehicle driving Prime Minister Perry Christie.

Curry, Christie, several Cabinet ministers and other PLP supporters crowded the small nomination room while nearly 100 supporters waited outside. Some danced and waved placards with Curry’s image emblazoned on them.

When Curry emerged from the nomination room, he said he is confident he will be victorious.

He said he has gained more support in the past few months.

“I’m happy to be running now the second time around,” Curry said. “I tried the first time, was unsuccessful, but I believe this time we are going to do it.

“A lot of the young people have decided they would support me even more than last time. We have other folks that are just coming with me because they see my vision, they had a chance to look it over and study it and they feel we have a good plan for North Abaco.”

Christie said he is sure the PLP will take the constituency away from the FNM, giving the governing party 30 of the 38 seats in the House of Assembly.

He said he plans to hold a Cabinet meeting in the area before the vote, to show the constituency the support it has from the government.

“Down here I would like our campaign to be so strong, so deep and so sustained that they will feel us everywhere in every community and they will know what we want to do for them if given the opportunity here,” Christie said.

The FNM’s candidate also had a strong showing of support.

Several former Cabinet ministers, including Phenton Neymour, Neko Grant and Zhivargo Laing, joined the crowd of FNM supporters who flocked to the site.

Ingraham’s home in Cooper’s Town is located a few feet from the nomination site.

Gomez said he will do his best to keep Abaco red.

Up until August of last year, he had lived in the United States for several years.

The PLP has questioned his background and ties to the community in light of his prolonged absence from the country.

However, Gomez said he is well known in Abaco and will mount a strong challenge to his opponents.

“Abaco knows me,” said Gomez, with his wife at his side. “There is no area that we the FNM will not challenge.

“People are alluding that Murphy Town is a (PLP) stronghold.  Well, Murphy Town, we are going to challenge you.”

McIntosh, servant leader of the Bahamas Constitution Party, was the first to arrive at the site, shortly after 9 a.m., with no supporters or fanfare.

However, Returning Officer Charles King told her that one of the five subscribers names on her nomination papers was not on the North Abaco election roster.

By law, a candidate needs at least five signatures from registered voters in the constituency to be eligible for nomination.

McIntosh left the nomination room and asked employees in the government office if they knew anyone who could sign for her. She then left the building, drove down the street and came back about 10 minutes later with another verified signature.

“That’s a lesson in finding the bare minimum,” she told reporters afterwards. “From here on in, I guess people should take that into consideration and put at least seven or eight persons as subscribers for the nomination.”

She said if elected she would help Abaco reach its full economic potential in terms of farming and tuna harvesting.

“A lot of times people say what can one person do.  But one voice is a voice.  We must bring institutional integrity to the governance of the country.  I believe the FNM and the PLP cannot really do that,” McIntosh said.

Cay Mills, who was unsuccessful in his bid to become the FNM’s candidate for North Abaco, did not nominate yesterday.

Earlier, he had pledged to run as an independent after Gomez was selected as the party’s candidate.

The by-election is set for October 15.

The PLP plans to hold its first rally on Saturday.  The FNM will hold its own event sometime next week, party leader Dr. Hubert Minnis said.

Three nominate for North Abaco battle