Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has accused APNU of hypocrisy, saying the party stayed silent on U.S. claims that sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed is a “pro-Maduro puppet” after storming out of Parliament weeks earlier over a Venezuela motion.
Speaking at his weekly press conference, Jagdeo pointed to what he described as blatant double standards by the opposition.
“APNU didn’t say a word about it,” Jagdeo stated. “On another issue that threatens sovereignty… You remember? They said we’re not doing enough. They walked out of parliament when we had a motion condemning Venezuela, and here you have U.S. Congressmen saying these Mohameds are tied to Maduro [and] they’re not saying a word about it,” Jagdeo lamented.
The VP’s comments referenced an X post made in July 2025 by U.S. Congressman Carlos Gimenez, who warned that Venezuela’s regime is seeking to undermine Guyana’s sovereignty through Mohamed.
“In the U.S. Congress we are alarmed by the regime in Venezuela’s attempt to undermine #Guyana through its pro-Maduro puppet candidate Azruddin Mohamed, who is sanctioned by OFAC,” Gimenez wrote on the social media formerly known as Twitter.
The Vice President questioned why APNU, which has repeatedly accused the government of being “soft” in its handling of Venezuela’s aggression, has remained silent on what he described as a direct threat to Guyana’s sovereignty.
The opposition staged a walkout on May 23, 2025, during debate on a solidarity motion condemning Venezuela’s fraudulent May 25 elections aimed at justifying its claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region.
That motion, tabled by Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd, underscored Guyana’s recourse to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and Venezuela’s defiance of international law. But Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton rejected the motion as “weak” and lacking input from the opposition, prompting a heated exchange in the House and an eventual walkout by APNU lawmakers.
