Sherod Duncan and Nigel Hughes face off for AFC leadership

The Alliance For Change (AFC) Congress will witness a heated leadership contest between Sherod Duncan and Nigel Hughes on Saturday.

The event will see Duncan, known for his grassroots support, clashing with Hughes, who has faced scrutiny over his ties with ExxonMobil.

Duncan emerged as the frontrunner, securing the maximum number of nominations, reflecting his deep connection with the party’s base. He has sought to highlight Hughes’ inconsistent involvement with the AFC, characterizing him as merely a financial contributor. But Hughes has refuted these claims, listing a series of activities he participated in after resigning from leadership in the AFC.

“Too many leaders have grown cold and quiet, with some even taking a sabbatical in the face of the challenges we confront,”  Duncan said in a public statement.

He even quoted Bob Marley, saying, “See them fighting fu power but they know not the hour.”

Duncan is a member of Parliament for the AFC, extracted from the AFC’s coalition with APNU in the 2020 general elections.

Hughes, whose law firm represents ExxonMobil, faced criticism over his potential conflict of interest.

His aspirations to lead the AFC were questioned, particularly regarding his stance on renegotiating the controversial oil contracts. When pressed on whether he would renegotiate these contracts if elected leader, Hughes notably evaded the question on an online programme, raising further concerns about his suitability for the role.

“Exxon is a client of our firm. I’m making it public now so nobody can say that I have never made it [known] – several of the oil companies are clients of our firm. I cannot comment on that,” when asked if he would negotiate the oil contract Exxon and its partners have with the government.

Hughes’ firm had expanded to Texas to support oil and gas operations while the former APNU+AFC government was in office.

As the party navigates this leadership battle, the outcome will significantly shape its future direction.

Duncan’s grassroots appeal contrasts sharply with Hughes’ corporate affiliations, presenting AFC members with a critical choice about the party’s path forward.

The Congress’ decision will ultimately determine whether the AFC will continue its current trajectory or pivot towards new leadership under Hughes, whose professional ties to ExxonMobil remain an issue.

Whoever wins the leadership contest will have to navigate a potential coalition with APNU for the next general and regional elections, which are due late next year.

But the public will remember the AFC and both of its potential leaders for its brazen stance in seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 elections. Duncan used his appeal online during the contentious five-month period following the elections when leading players in the then government colluded with leaders of the elections body GECOM to keep APNU+AFC in government and deny the real winners of the elections – the PPP.

Hughes’ argument that 33 was not a majority in the 65-seat Parliament was one or multiple legal machinations by the then APNU+AFC, enabling the then-government to remain in power for an additional year and a half. This argument was soundly rejected in the courts in Guyana and ultimately at the Caribbean Court of Justice.