The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is calling on Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield to investigate an incident where an overseer of the Local Authority Area allegedly refused to swear in two of the party’s members as councillors.
In a statement issued yesterday, the PPP/C accused Glennis Castello, overseer of Toevlugt/ Patentia on the West Bank Demerara of refusing to swear in two of the party’s duly elected councillors at the recently held Local Government Elections.
Attempts to contact Castello for a comment were unsuccessful.
According to the statement on Friday, during a meeting held at the Goed Intent Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), the two councillors, Shaheed Khan and Ravi Chandra Rickhee, were prevented from taking the Oath of Office. The two men were said to have been prevented from taking the oath on the grounds that their names did not appear on a list Castello was said to have had in her possession.
The statement said the two councillors displayed their Certificate of Election to Castello as well as the other councillors. The certificates of election were said to have been issued by the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) dated March 29, 2016 and signed by Lowenfield. The councillors also had a copy of the Official Gazette dated March 29, 2016, in which their names were published as elected councillors.
The PPP said it was calling on Lowenfield “to rectify this unfortunate impasse with every convenient speed. Anything less will be a subversion of the will of the electorate in the Local Authority Area.”
