APNU scolds House Speaker for attacking US, Canadian envoys over appointing opposition leader

Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 January 2026, 22:26 by Writer

The opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Wednesday roasted Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir for attacking the top American and Canadian envoys here who called for the swift election of the Leader of the Opposition to ensure a working democracy.

In a statement, APNU parliamentarian Dr Dexter Todd noted that Mr Nadir “took the extraordinary step of attacking” US Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot and Canada’s High Commissioner Sébastien Sigouin.

Dr Todd said the diplomats’ calls did not amount to domestic interference. “These diplomats were not expressing “personal opinions” or interfering in our internal affairs. They were doing something far more fundamental: they were advocating for the integrity of the Guyanese Constitution,” said Dr Todd, also a lawyer.

“When the international community calls for this vacancy to be filled, they are not taking sides, they are standing on the side of the Supremacy of the Constitution, which is the highest law of our land,” Dr Todd also said.

Before announcing that he would call a meeting of the 29 opposition members of parliament on January 26 at 10 a.m. for them to elect an opposition leader – most likely the leader of the 16-seat We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Azruddin Mohamed – Mr Nadir stopped short of questioning the democratic credentials of the US and Canada.

“To the United States Ambassador to Guyana, I ask: who is the Leader of the Opposition in your country? Does the absence of an Opposition Leader interfere with your country’s democratic process?

To my dear friend Sebastian, from the Canadian High Commission: your great democracy took six months to produce a budget last year, and your country has the unique distinction of having a person who was never elected to Parliament serve as Prime Minister—a person imposed on the citizens of Canada by the former Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau,” Mr Nadir said.

But APNU’s Dr  Todd rebuked the Speaker, saying that he should abide by the law rather than his own views. The opposition legislator said he was “deeply” concerned to see the Speaker, being apparently “comfortable holding a position that is, at its core, undemocratic and unconstitutional”.

He said a Speaker should be the referee of the House, ensuring the rules are followed, not an obstacle to the very laws that give the House its power. “The Speaker is a human being; he is entitled to his personal views. He may even have a personal dislike for whoever may eventually sit in that chair. However, the moment he speaks in his official capacity, his personal feelings must be subservient to the Rule of Law.”

Mr Nadir said he was keen to “uphold the dignity” of the House when he considered the likelihood of an international fugitive being the opposition leader, a sentiment almost identical to that of the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic.

Dr Todd called for Guyanese to respect the country’s Constitution which outweighs personal political agendas. “Our international partners expect it, but more importantly, the Guyanese people deserve it.”

Dr Todd said by calling for the appointment of a Leader of the Opposition, those diplomats were supporting the completion of Guyana’s  governmental architecture. “A government does not function solely on the will of a President. Our system is designed to be a complete structure. The Office of the Leader of the Opposition is not a “suggestion” or a political courtesy; it is a constitutional office. To leave that seat vacant is to leave our democracy unfinished,” he added.

Back in 2020, the then APNU+Alliance For Change (APNU) had accused the international community of manipulating the outcome of the elections in that year after multiple declarations for Region Four did not correspond with the Statements of Poll but trended that coalition towards an electoral victory.

The then administration had also threatened to expel international observers.

However, a CARICOM-brokered and observed vote recount saw the People’s Progressive Party Civic being declared the winner.

Mr Mohamed and his father, Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed, were sanctioned by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for allegedly smuggling more than 10,000 kilogrammes of gold worth more than US$50 million and in the process failing to pay the relevant taxes to the Guyana government.

Last October, a US Federal Grand Jury unsealed an 11-count indictment on the Mohameds for alleged wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering.

Subsequently, the US requested their extradition to face trial for those alleged crimes.

Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman has set February 5 for the continuation of extradition committal hearings.

The Mohameds are also challenging the validity of the extradition request in two separate civil cases in the High Court.