…even though supporters in green t-shirts thronged the City Hall compound after they were told they were not allowed there
MANAGER of Operations and Logistics for ‘A Partnership for National Unity’(APNU), Ms Amna Ali, yesterday said that she was present on Nomination Day at City Hall but saw no misbehaviour by APNU supporters.
Questioned by a Kaieteur News Reporter about what was perceived to be unruly actions at City Hall by the APNU crowd, Ali said she knew nothing about what the reporter was saying.
She was responding to the question that was raised in connection with the pushing down of barricades at City Hall’s gates when access to the compound was denied to a swarm of APNU’s supporters.
“That did not happen. I was there and I did not observe any such behaviour as the pushing down of barricades. There were a lot of people demonstrating their support of APNU and maybe somebody was not able to deal with the crowd that it would have seen. Indeed, there was a large crowd but there was no misbehaving,” Ali stated.
Nevertheless, this newspaper understands that APNU Executive Member, Deborah Backer had there and then on Nomination Day apologized for the disorderly behaviour of the party’s supporters.
A press statement from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) headquarters said APNU showed its true colours by not apologising and justifying the breakdown of order by members of its contingent on Nomination Day. 
The statement came in the wake of a statement issued by APNU, in which the members of the opposition called for an apology from Minister of Agriculture and PPP/C elections committee member Robert Persaud, for his condemnation of the storming of City Hall, by APNU supporters.
“If anyone needs to apologise it is Granger and Roopnarine for encouraging and now justifying disruptive behaviour in our society. Can we trust these individuals with governing our society when they encourage lawlessness?” the Freedom House release stated.
Minister Persaud, at a press briefing last week, commented upon the storming of City Hall compound and attempts to enter the nomination room by the PNCR-led APNU supporters, when political parties were presenting their lists of candidates for the elections.
This action, the PPP/C campaign spokesman said, proved that the PNCR-led APNU has not changed.
According to Persaud, it is expected that political parties’ supporters would act in a civil manner on Nomination Day, but APNU failed to live up to such expectation.
Last Thursday, as APNU’s Presidential Candidate David Granger arrived, his supporters converged in front of City Hall; and when they were told by police that they were not allowed in the compound, they became angry and broke through the barriers, forcing city constables and other policemen to run for cover.
Members of the media as well as employees of the municipality were also forced to run for cover.
Further, the Freedom House statement, issued stated, “The people of Guyana cannot be fooled by the old PNC, now rebranded APNU, which has not changed, no matter the new name.”