AFC Leader confirms no more coalition with APNU

Jun 20, 2025 News

AFC Leader Nigel Hughes

Kaieteur News – Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes, confirmed on Thursday that any remaining prospects of a coalition with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) are now effectively off the table.

Hughes made the announcement one day after three senior AFC members—Sherod Duncan, Juretha Fernandes, and Deonarine “Ricky” Ramsaroop jumped over to APNU by submitting their names to APNU’s list of candidates for the upcoming General and Regional Elections, without informing the AFC.

In response, the AFC issued a statement on Wednesday announcing the termination of membership for the three, stating they had independently verified the trio’s alignment with APNU. As a result, the AFC stated that the former members’ decision to appear on APNU’s candidate list was a clear indication that APNU “was and is not interested in a coalition.”

This unexpected shift has deepened the political divide between the two parties and left the AFC reassessing its electoral strategy. Speaking with reporters outside of GECOM’s headquarters, Hughes confirmed that there would be no coalition between the AFC and APNU going forward.

“It is unlikely to be any more coalition, I’m afraid. I don’t think it will assist either side to go into what did and did not happen. It hasn’t happened, and that time has gone. I think we are all going to concentrate on the elections. And in the case of the Alliance For Change, we are pretty certain that our policies, once presented to the public, will speak for themselves,” he added, emphasising that the party is now focused on moving forward.

AFC leader confirms no more coalition with APNU

Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton

During the interview, Hughes explained that the decision to expel the members was grounded in the party’s constitution, which prohibits members from aligning with other political entities while maintaining membership in the AFC. “Our constitution is quite clear. You cannot pledge an allegiance with another political entity while being a member, and so those persons cease to be members. So the APNU have three former members of the Alliance For Change.”

In terms of Juretha Fernandes, who was the AFC’s spokesperson on finance, she would now serve as APNU’s Prime Ministerial Candidate for the upcoming September 1 elections. However, Hughes revealed that Fernandes had not been involved in any official coalition negotiations, much less identified for the PM candidacy in previous discussions with the two parties. “She has never been featured at all in the discussion because the discussions essentially were about principles and policies, other than Presidential Candidate, who the APNU insisted to be the person on PNC identified, but it was never about persons or personalities. The only personality was who they said must be the Presidential Candidate,” he said.

Additionally, acknowledging the weight of the defections, Hughes admitted the party would feel the loss of the three senior members. “Of course, we must have an impact. They have been in the party. They are Members of Parliament. They were identified by my predecessor and his administration as persons who would be representing the party at the National Assembly, and the fact is, the party would have an impact.”

Prior to the official announcement of elections, AFC and APNU had engaged in coalition discussions over several months. However, repeated disagreements led to a breakdown in talks.

Initially, the AFC proposed a 60/40 split in favour of APNU. Later, the party returned with a 60/35 proposal, in which APNU would nominate the Presidential Candidate, and AFC would nominate the Prime Ministerial Candidate. That proposal was ultimately rejected by APNU.

With APNU now absorbing several of the AFC’s former key figures, Hughes has confirmed that the AFC will be contesting the September 1 elections independently.

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Alliance For Change, Aubrey Norton, Coalition, Juretha Fernandes, Nigel Hughes, Sherod Duncan

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