Azruddin Mohamed willing to patch up relations with PPP; support PNC, PPP for Guyanese benefit.

Last Updated on Saturday, 31 May 2025, 11:16 by Writer

Embattled city businessman, Azruddin Mohamed, has ruled out coalescing with two of Guyana’s three prominent political parties to contest the September 1 general and regional elections, but said he would vote with them in the National Assembly in the interest of Guyanese.

“If it’s a decision to benefit the people of this country, why not?” he said shortly after he was arraigned before city magistrate on charges of false declaration and tax evasion connected with the importation of a Lamborghini car. He pleaded not guilty and was released on GY$500,000 bail.

Asked pointedly whether he was willing to make amends with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), he responded that it is “only for the upliftment and benefit of the Guyanese people; that’s all.” Similarly, he said he would be willing to work with the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

Mr Mohamed, who seemed to have fallen out with President Irfaan Ali especially since the United States (U.S.) imposed sanctions on him and his father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed in June 2024, said he would not coalesce with the PNC or the Alliance For Change (AFC).

Asked if he holds the balance of power in the 65-seat National Assembly, whether he would vote with the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) or the PNC, Mr Azruddin said, “when it comes to making right decisions for the benefit of the country; when it comes down that road, we will decide that.”

Citing a sample of 80,000 persons across Guyana that showed that his team would win 65 percent of the votes, he said he was confident that “we have the strength to win the election on our own.”

Quizzed about the name of his political party, he did not provide one but said “very soon; the country would love the name” and the candidates would be drawn from the PNC, PPP and AFC. “All party want to come on board,” he said.

But PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday accused Mr Mohamed’s team of faking a “groundswell” of support through bogus social media profiles. Mr Jagdeo also discarded the presidential candidate’s claim of a sample size of 80,000 persons as “lunacy”. “Now, the biggest survey firms in the world, in the United States of America which has over 300-odd million people, a poll sample is less than 80,000 people…It shows delusion. Something got to be wrong with you to even believe that,” he said. Mr Jagdeo said there was no evidence of a mass exodus to Mr Mohamed but instead they were gravitating to the PPP.

Mr Mohamed and PPPC supporters had clashed in the latter’s strongholds especially in Essequibo and Berbice where many people had turned out to meet with him. He is also attracting reasonable turnouts at meetings in Amerindian communities such as Mahdia and Micobie where he visited this week.

In response to Mr Mohamed’s claims of persecution because he was entering politics, Mr Jagdeo said the Guyana government was merely acting on evidence of alleged evasion of US$50 million on the export of 10,000 kilogrammes of gold by the United States and recently the alleged evasion of taxes and false declaration on the Lamborghini.

“They like to play the victim. The victim is hoping to give him sympathy among people and his announcement, I think, is calculating that if he announces then the US maybe don’t want to come after a politician. It’s to save his own ass!” said Mr Jagdeo, who is Guyana’s Second Vice President and regarded in some quarters as the administration’s principal decision-maker.