SITTING president of the People’s National Party (PNP) Dr Peter Phillips is oozing confidence that he will retain the party’s top job when the votes are counted on Saturday.

Phillips, who has dubbed his campaign OnePNP, is facing a strong challenge for the leadership of the party from Peter Bunting, who leads the Rise United team.

With just under 3,000 delegates to determine the winner, Phillips yesterday told members of the media that “over the last few days of the campaign, more and more Comrades have recognised the threat to the authentic PNP values and traditions that is posed by the Rise [United] campaign”.

According to Phillips, Comrades are recognising that the OnePNP team represents the party that many generations worked hard to build.

He charged that in the two years that he has led the PNP, even before the Bunting challenge was announced, there was clear evidence of an orchestrated effort by some, to undermine his leadership.

“This campaign began as a virtual referendum on my leadership, orchestrated by persons in search of power. The fact is, they started the campaign on the basis of a poll, [and] the truth is, if we were to use a poll to determine the successor to me then I would say the present challenger would not be in the top tier of the persons to replace me,” declared Phillips.

“Our team has all the winning elements — vibrancy, experience, energy, and maturity — to capture the imagination of the Jamaican people, many of whom have been following the activities of the team and the message very carefully.

“We have connected with the delegates and the Jamaican people, in general, through the length and breadth of this country,” added Phillips, as he argued that the presidential contest is about the heart and soul and the mission of the PNP.

In a jab at the Bunting team, Phillips charged that the presidential campaign has been a forceful reminder of the role of money in politics in Jamaica.

“We will never forget Norman Manley’s efforts at political education, nor Michael [Manley’s] injunction that, ‘We are not for sale’,” said Phillips.

“The PNP has always functioned as an antidote to money politics, and to those who believe that money can buy people, sad to say we are seeing this spectre raise its ugly head within the ranks of the People’s National Party,” Phillips added.

In the meantime, campaign manager for Phillips’s team, Natalie Neita, told the media briefing that their campaign has been vibrant, respectful, and above board, and this will lead to a victory on Saturday.

“We trust the delegates to make the right choice. We have brought a message across Jamaica to all our delegates. We have sold a man who did not take much selling. We have sold a man who built for himself, the experience, the integrity, the vision, and certainly, a record of performance…” said Neita.

“We are confident we have the majority of the delegates going into Saturday. I want to thank them, on behalf of the leader, and the great movement we form a part of, for understanding and recognising the importance of this decision come Saturday,” Neita added.

According to Neita, the OnePNP team will spend the next few days tightening the nuts and bolts as it prepares to ensure Phillips is still the party’s leader come Saturday evening.