By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said he wants to return as leader of the Free National Movement because he has unfinished business.

Dr Minnis submitted his nomination to challenge Michael Pintard for leadership of the party at the FNM’s headquarters on Friday.

The move came after months of behind-the-scenes moves to generate support that made the party appear disunited in public. Dr Minnis rarely attended FNM press conferences or events that involved other FNM elected officials and his supporters at times took the party’s leadership to court to settle matters.

He said on Friday: “Many have asked why have I at this time put forth my nomination, especially when the press and many others were asking me this one important question for well over a year now and I had refused to answer such a question.”

“My view is and I would hope others would share a similar view, we had a leader of the party.

“Michael Pintard was a duly elected leader of the Free National Movement and there was no other post available at that time, and as leader, I respected that position, and I respected all other positions within the party.

“But once a convention is called, then all posts become available and at that time, I think everybody who wants to be nominated for a post can come forth and express their views, but until then I think we should respect those who are in positions and that was the reason.”

The FNM’s one-day convention will be held at Baha Mar on June 1.

Asked why he wants to return as leader, Dr Minnis said: “I have not completed some of the things I wanted to do.”

“My most happiest moments in politics are when I see young people exceed, when I see young people become entrepreneurs and doing well. That’s my most happiest moment in politics.

“My most saddened moment in politics is when I see individuals come into politics saying they want to serve the country, and then you discover that they are more interested in serving themselves, that is very depressing.”

Renward Wells, who had Cabinet portfolio responsibilities for the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transport and various times under the Minnis administration, expressed admiration for Dr Minnis’s leadership abilities and was the most well-known person to join in support of Dr Minnis on Friday. Former Deputy Prime Minister Desmond Bannister was not there, but has said he supports Dr Minnis.

Mr Wells said: “I saw his leadership. I saw the kind of character he put forward in chaos, in challenge, and to me that was admirable. I saw his leadership in trying and testing times and so I grew fond of that kind of leadership and not just that.

“I believe that when we’re judging individuals, we got to stop looking sometimes at just the man. We got to look at the message that someone brings. We got to stop just looking at just the persons. We got to look at principles. We got to stop focusing on the idols. We got to start looking at the ideology, the ideas that are being put forward.”

Ultimately, Mr Wells did not nominate himself for a position but said he considered running for deputy leader or chairman.

Dr Minnis has never lost a race at an FNM convention. After resigning as leader in 2021, he did not challenge Mr Pintard at the leadership convention on November 27, 2021, but was said to favour Kwasi Thompson.

Mr Pintard received 297 votes, 67 per cent of the vote at that convention. Mr Thompson and Central Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis got 120 and 44 votes, respectively.