LUCEA, Hanover — People’s National Party (PNP) Region Six Chairman Colin Hitchman has described Sunday’s second run-off between aspiring candidates for the coveted Hanover Western constituency seat as a “two-horse race contest.”

Originally there were four contenders — Oshane Hall, Brian Chambers, Dr Garfield Chapman and Heatha Miller Bennett — in the race, but this has boiled down to two, following the withdrawal of Hall and Chambers ahead of the run-off.

On September 23, the party had an internal selection process for the constituency. However, at the end of the voting process which saw a voter turnout of 48 per cent of the more than 600 delegates on the list, Miller Bennett received the highest number of votes.

Miller Bennett, who is the daughter of former mayor of Lucea and councillor for the Green Island Division, Fredricous Miller, had obtained 105 votes.

Second place was given to Chambers, who is currently the constituency chairman, third to the well-known medical doctor Chapman and fourth to Hall.

However, concerns had been raised about the selection process after news came on the night of October 2 that the run-off would not be between first and second place but first and third.

Hitchman in an interview with the Jamaica Observer quickly rubbished claims that the party wanted Dr Chapman to be the winner.

“There is no truth to the statement that the party wants this person or that person, absolutely not,” assured the region chairman.

Hitchman revealed that following the first voting process, meetings were held, at which point Chambers and Hall decided to withdraw from the race.

Hitchman explained the need to have a second voting process, claiming that despite Miller Bennett obtaining the highest number of votes, Chambers and Hall had withdrawn from the selection process “and so that would have left both Comrade Chapman and Comrade Miller to face the delegates”, stated Hitchman, who noted that the figure was not more than half the total number of delegates who voted.

The run-off will take place on Sunday at the Rusea’s High School campus in the parish at 11:00 am.

Hanover Western had been held by the PNP for more than 30 years. The seat is currently held by attorney-at-law Tamika Davis of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), who won it in 2020.

Prior to that, the JLP last held the seat between 1980 and 1989 when current deputy prime minister and Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang was the MP.