Renward Wells: I’m running in Bamboo Town

Former cabinet minister Renward Wells is threatening to upend the Free National Movement’s (FNM) carefully laid plans in Bamboo Town, signaling his intention to run in the constituency despite the party already naming a candidate for the 2026 general election.

Wells, who served two terms as Member of Parliament for Bamboo Town, lost the seat in 2021 to Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate Patricia Deveaux.

In recent months, he sought to reclaim the FNM nomination ahead of the next election cycle. Those efforts, however, went nowhere.

Party insiders say Wells was never seriously considered for the nomination, largely because of his unwavering loyalty to former prime minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, a figure who continues to cast a long shadow over the FNM following its 2021 defeat.

Minnis’ ongoing influence has been a persistent irritant for current FNM leader Michael Pintard, as the party attempts to rebrand and consolidate authority under new leadership.

With Wells sidelined, the FNM moved ahead by nominating its chairman, Dr. Duane Sands, as the party’s standard-bearer in Bamboo Town.

Sands’ selection came after his strategic decision not to seek a rematch in Elizabeth, where he was soundly defeated in 2021 by PLP incumbent JoBeth Coleby-Davis.

Party strategists widely acknowledged that a return bid in Elizabeth would have been futile.