By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE Free National Movement is expected, over the next several days, to finalise its decision to officially select talk show host Jeffery Lloyd as the party’s candidate for the St Anne’s constituency.

With Mr Lloyd on the party’s ticket, according to well-placed sources within the organisation, the party stands a better chance of securing the seat in the next general election, which is welcomed by party supporters.

However, when Mr Lloyd was contacted yesterday, he insisted that the party had yet to make him an official offer. Instead Mr Lloyd confirmed that as recently as this weekend, he continued talks with both the FNM and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA). Both organisations he said at some point had “aggressively” pursued him, although the latter took it a step further and placed a very attractive offer on the table.

This comes the day after St Anne’s MP Hubert Chipman announced that he has withdrawn his name from consideration for re-nomination in his constituency.

“I have always said two things,” Mr Lloyd told The Tribune. “One, I am under active consideration. I, Jeffery Lloyd, am under active consideration as to whether I should enter the political arena for front line politics in 2016/2017 as a candidate. That decision has not yet been finally made by me.

“Number two, I have been actively pursued, aggressively in some instances by both the Free National Movement and the Democratic National Alliance and to a much lesser degree and extent by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).

“Now whether the DNA has me or the FNM has me or even the PLP has me under active consideration, I cannot at this moment say. You would have to ask them if that is so.

“I have met with all three of them, the DNA and the FNM repeatedly. That means many times and we have all discussed all kinds of various possibilities. I have also met with and have been courted by a group of individuals who sought to form an alternative, can’t say third party because you have about 20 of them third parties in the Bahamas now.”

He added: “I have been mentioned by and to a lesser extent been courted by this group that calls themselves the Gate Keepers and so from my vantage point I have not made a final decision as to whether I will enter the political arena as a candidate and two if I do, under what banner and associated with whom I may do so.”

Asked to confirm whether the FNM was considering him for the St Anne’s seat, Mr Lloyd said: “I have heard that too and nobody has said to me ‘Okay Jeffery I want to let you know that you are being considered for the St Anne’s constituency.’”

On Sunday, Mr Chipman said he has had differences with FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis. He also criticised Dr Minnis for not pushing the government hard enough on several issues including the work of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), of which the St Anne’s MP is the chairman.

“I maintained a constituency office from February 2012 to date and was available to meet with constituents at any time,” Mr Chipman said in his statement.

“In particular, regular office hours were held from 4 to 7pm every Thursday. Because of the good work we did together, the Constituency Association expressed their confidence in me by writing to FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis and the Candidates Committee on September 5, 2015. The letter was signed by all of the executives of the association. That was over a year ago.

“The association’s letter was never acknowledged. During the first week of March of this year, the executive of my association and myself met. We then met with the leader and the then Chairman Michael Pintard during the first week of March 2016. My candidacy was discussed at length.

“We were assured that I would be re-nominated. The association again wrote to the leader on September 21, 2016 referring to its earlier letter and our meeting. To date we have heard nothing, which I consider a tremendous sign of disrespect toward the association,” Mr Chipman said.