6 ILP ‘ghosts’ in election

ALTHOUGH the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) announced it would field candidates at all 136 local government districts in the upcoming elections, checks yesterday revealed that for at least six districts, no ILP candidate was actually nominated by that party.

While it has been stated that several ILP candidates have withdrawn, EBC officials yesterday said that in fact, several ILP candidates were never even nominated in the first place.

On September 30, Nomination Day, the ILP released a full list of candidates to the media. On that list were several names including: Kelon Williams – East Dry River; Colleen Pope – Northern Port-of-Spain; Jenelle Guerra – St James East; Ishmael Mohammed – St James West; Joel Raymond – St Ann’s River Central and Regon Boxhill for Mon Repos/Navet.

But, according to the EBC’s chief election officer Ramesh Nanan, these six names do not now stand nominated and in fact, were never nominated by the ILP. Notices for the taking of a poll, which were issued last Friday, do not name an ILP candidate in any of these six districts.

Arnott Daniel, a former ILP proposed candidate, on Wednesday came forward to Newsday stating he withdrew from the race. But Daniel was never formally nominated by the ILP and his name did not appear on the ILP’s master list released to the media on Monday. Another name, that of Kelon Williams, was on the ILP list.

Nanan said it was wrong to state that certain candidates had “withdrawn” when in fact, they were never submitted as nominees.

Only one candidate has thus far formally withdrawn from the local government election race, EBC chairman Dr Norbert Masson yesterday said.

The candidate is a PNM candidate, Indar Jairaj. The reasons for Jairaj’s withdraw are unclear. PNM general secretary Ashton Ford was yesterday tight-lipped, saying only, “I have no idea why he withdrew.” The deadline for formal withdrawal from the race is next Tuesday, five clear days before the election.

NEWSDAY