Adrian Samuda to represent PNP in Old Harbour North

Samuda, 36, will be the People’s National Party (PNP) representative in the Old Harbour North Division, replacing Basil Jackson who resigned late July.

Breaking the news Monday night to relatives and friends on Facebook, the Kaluga boss declared: “I will be running for PNP councillor in the Old Harbour North Division.

“I want to be the first to inform you of my candidacy. I am looking forward to your support as I continue my purpose of pushing for change and contribute to making lives (sic) better for us all.”

Dr Kurt Waul, the man who the PNP has tasked to unseat veteran politician Everald Warmington of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), said Samuda’s intimate knowledge of the division and desire to succeed makes him a strong candidate capable of wrestling the parochial seat from the incumbent Keith Knight of the JLP.

“I am absolutely thrilled at the prospects of Adrian Samuda being the councillor for the north division,” Dr Waul told Old Harbour News, while noting that Samuda came out ahead of several top candidates interested in the seat.

“He is a well loved and respected man born and raised in Bannister,” added Waul. “The north division is the constituency that has suffered the most of all the divisions due to the perennial water problems, and I know with our combined youth and enthusiasm the sky is the limit in terms of what we will achieve in the development of the north division.”

Jackson, meantime, said it was one of the most difficult decisions he had to make.

In his resignation letter to Comrades, he wrote: “I will continue to be a supporter of the People’s National Party as I deem it the best alternate for governance for Jamaica at this time. The Old Harbour North Division is a winnable division at this time for the PNP and it deserves better representation than what we have there now, hence I will throw all my support behind a PNP candidate that is placed there.”

Jackson, who is also a native of the division, added: “I take this time to commend the efforts of Dr Kurt Waul who I see as the next Member of Parliament of this constituency. Through his stewardship we have the most united constituency ever and this is the platform for victory along with the hard work of everyone.”