By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement Chairman Sidney Collie said yesterday that the party is about to begin the formal process of finding a new nominee for the Long Island constituency.

His statement came a day after FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said the FNM’s Council has rescinded Loretta Butler-Turner’s nomination in that constituency.

Tribune columnist Adrian Gibson has been floated as a possible replacement for Mrs Butler-Turner.

In a column published on Thursday, Mr Gibson wrote: “I affirm that the people of Long Island, my home town, have been calling…and I intend to answer their call.”

Mr Collie, for his part, said the party is still accepting applications for the Long Island seat.

“He (Mr Gibson) and others have to apply, go to the search committee, be interviewed and have background checks into them. We would then weed out who can’t make the final cut. The final cut will be sent to the Executive Committee, which then takes a name to the Council,” Mr Collie said.

“The leader has put out a call to Long Island to start their search. I cannot confirm whether Adrian put out an application, but I know there are two other people interested as well.”

The announcement that Mrs Butler-Turner’s nomination had been rescinded was one of Dr Minnis’ final statements before a crowd of several hundred gathered at the FNM headquarters Wednesday night.

The event was also a candidate ratification and an opportunity for the party to show strength and unity after last week’s move to oust Dr Minnis as leader of the Official Opposition.

The late Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road Jack” blared from speakers following Dr Minnis’ announcement, prompting shouts of approval.

“You did not deserve what those seven MPs did to us,” Dr Minnis said. “You did not deserve it.”

“Didn’t we all endure their public criticism?” he asked. “It seems like almost every week we were being publicly attacked by one of our own.

“FNMs, didn’t we have a convention in November 2014? Didn’t we have a convention in July 2016? The convention elected its leader and I offered my hands out to all who opposed us.”