Pintard feeling the heat as Ingraham calls for FNM to find a winner

FNM Leader Michael Pintard may be starting to feel the heat after the party’s former leader, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham delivered what could be a stinging message to the Free National Movement — find a leader who can actually win.

And with the FNM licking its wounds after a disastrous general election performance, those words are putting the spotlight squarely on Pintard’s leadership.

Ingraham, once considered one of Pintard’s most powerful political allies, made the blunt call Wednesday night as FNMs gathered at Le Chateau on East Bay Street to mark the 34th anniversary of the party’s 1992 election victory.

“Go and find a leader you can win with,” Ingraham told supporters.

It was hardly a ringing endorsement of the current leadership.

Under Pintard, the FNM stumbled through a string of political setbacks, losing more than one by-election before suffering a crushing defeat at the May 12 general election.

The party walked away with just eight of Parliament’s 41 seats. It is a result that left the FNM battered, bruised and facing serious questions about where it goes from here.

Ingraham did not mince words.

“We lost in 2026, and we lost badly—even losing some deposits. Accept it,” he said.

“The public did not want what we offered. So, let’s get busy preparing to win the next time.”

And while Ingraham stopped short of directly calling for Pintard’s removal, his message was unmistakable: the FNM needs a leader capable of taking the party back to government.

The former prime minister also warned party members to ditch the internal warfare and rebuild the FNM’s credibility with Bahamians.

“Today we must stop the backbiting and complaining,” he said.

For Pintard, the timing could hardly be more uncomfortable. The man who once appeared to have Ingraham firmly in his corner now has to contend with the former prime minister publicly telling FNMs to find someone they can win with.

And that raises the obvious question: Is Pintard still the man to lead the FNM back to power or has the countdown to a leadership challenge already begun?