– Patterson seems set to run uncontested for presidency
The highly-anticipated and long-awaited Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held today at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) headquarters in Kingston from 2pm.
Up to press time last evening, the two most active sub-associations Linden and Georgetown, could not confirm who they would be nominating for the position of president and it seems likely that de facto president David Patterson will be unopposed for the post.
In several interviews with this newspaper leading up to the elections Patterson sounded his intention of running for the office if nominated.
He further reiterated that claim after returning from the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Annual General Assembly that was held in the British Virgin Island two weeks ago.
President of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) Abdullah Hamid in several sections of the media said that his association’s vote would be with Patterson regardless of who his opposition would be because of what he can bring to the game.
Hamid told Stabroek Sport yesterday that in many conversations with the acting president he maintained his commitment to the development of the game.
“I said to him, look, if you can bring competent persons to the other two main positions of the federation and those are the spots of treasurer and secretary, yea, my association stands fully behind you. I said this because I know what he can give to the sport,” said Hamid.
Meanwhile, Trevor Rose – head of the Georgetown association (GABA) stood firm that he would not like Patterson to be unopposed for the presidency but declined going up against him.
“We have spoken to a couple of prominent persons who had given us their willingness to go up for it” said Rose yesterday adding.. “But many of them pulled out later and some said they have to rethink it and get back to us, so right now I can’t say and can’t place a name to our slate of people who we would like to see on the federation.”
A high ranking Guyana Defence Force officer yesterday told Stabroek Sport that he had been contacted about running for the post but had declined.
The last GABF elections were held in 2005.
