With news reports swirling this morning that shrewd businessman Dr. Terrence Campbell is expected to lead the A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) team in parliament, the political newcomer told Guyana Standard that he is prepared to do what is necessary to return the party to its former glory.
Speaking with Guyana Standard, Dr. Campbell did not deny or confirm a report which first appeared in today’s edition of the Kaieteur News, noting that he will lead APNU’s parliamentary team.
The 61-year-old was first appointed in July 2024 as the opposition’s nominee on the Investment Committee of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) which holds Guyana’s oil revenues. He subsequently butted heads with the nation’s Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo following his sharp criticisms that the board was just a rubber stamp. The tango between the two saw heated exchanges in the press with Dr. Campbell eventually transitioning as a permanent political fixture in the APNU’s camp.
In his brief interview with Guyana Standard, Dr. Campbell said, “I am ready to work very hard in any capacity to return the APNU to power in the next five years.”
He said the current state where the PNC-led coalition is no longer the parliamentary opposition “is just a temporary setback.”
Further, Dr. Campbell said the list of APNU’s parliamentarians is likely to be discussed at a press conference on Friday. “It would be appropriate to wait until then for any confirmation on who is or is not going to parliament,” he said.
Following Aubrey Norton’s defeat at the 2025 General and Regional Elections, many observers had commented that it was in the party’s best interest for him to step down and allow “fresh blood” to take over. One such person was former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan. He was quoted in a Demerara Waves report saying Norton should not return to parliament or even contest again for leadership as “the party was brought to its lowest ebb and you were at the helm.”
Dr. Campbell told Guyana Standard that such comments by Jordan, especially before the dust settled, were unhelpful and untimely.
“Mr Jordan is a supporter of APNU and the PNCR and viewed as an elder by many. It was to my mind an untimely disclosure coming from one such person who is viewed with such esteem by party members and supporters.”
Dr. Campbell said Norton should have been given the time and grace by all to accept the electoral result and decide on the way forward.
Once Dr. Campbell is officially confirmed, all eyes will be on his first few moves, and whether one would include using the early opportunity to rebuild the APNU by distancing its future from past sins and scandals.
