Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes is taking responsibility for the Alliance for Change’s (AFC) poor performance at the 2025 General and Regional Elections, saying the results reflect a rejection of his leadership.
Last week, Hughes sent a letter to the AFC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) indicating that he was resigning with immediate effect. He became leader of the party in June 2024 but, after assessing the party’s performance at the polls, he decided to step down.
Hughes attended the AFC press conference today, where he noted that he is taking full responsibility for the results. He said this decision clears the way for new leadership to emerge.
While acknowledging the party’s executive statement of collective responsibility for the outcome, Hughes stressed that the weight of the defeat rests with him, as he was at the head of the party when the AFC suffered its worst result in history, failing to secure a single seat in the National Assembly for the first time.
“If you’re the captain of the ship and the ship sinks, you are responsible,” he said.
“At the end of the day, the responsibility is mine, so it wasn’t a question of factors, other than the fact that, for the first time, the Alliance for Change does not have a parliamentary seat and it clearly was a rejection of my leadership,” Hughes added.
Hughes clarified that although he resigned as leader, he will remain available to assist the party if called upon. “By staying around, I mean I will be available to assist the party in its deliberations going forward, and in any way that I could be useful to them in their deliberations, I am available,” he noted.
The NEC has stated it intends to urge Hughes to reconsider. Addressing this today, Hughes said he has not yet met with the body. “Until I have the privilege of meeting with the group and listening to what they have to say, I think it will be highly inappropriate for me to respond to that,” he explained.
When asked if he would reconsider his resignation after meeting with the executive, Hughes said, “I made it very clear that as captain of the ship, the ship sank, I am responsible. Classic Guyana statement: postmortem don’t bring back the dead.”
Further, Hughes expressed support for David Patterson as the next leader of the AFC.
