The Alliance For Change (AFC) mounted what it called a comeback bid on Saturday night at a washbay in the city with just a handful of people standing by the side of the road.It was the party’s first major public meeting for the 2025 elections, seeking to shake off claims of political irrelevance and internal decline.“They said the AFC was dead… then this is the greatest wake they’ve ever seen,” declared presidential candidate Nigel Hughes as he launched a passionate defence of his party’s relevance and future at Front Road, Ruimveldt, Georgetown.Hughes challenged prevailing narratives that the AFC is no longer a viable political force or that it only serves the interests of the elite.The AFC, once an emerging ‘third force’ thought to be made up of disillusioned PPP and PNC supporters that went on to form the APNU+AFC coalition government in 2015, returned solo after 2020 and has been struggling to regain traction.Several of its members have left to campaign with the APNU. The decline was also evident with low showings on Nomination Day. Negotiations to rejoin forces with APNU reportedly fell through after what Hughes suggested was APNU’s rejection of AFC’s proposed share of power.Throughout his wide-ranging speech, Hughes centred the plight of what he repeatedly described as “the poor of the poor” and “economically deprived Guyanese.” He painted a picture of growing inequality in an oil-rich nation where the majority are being left behind.“We are earning $65 million an hour in this country. $1.5 billion a day. And yet, people in West Ruimveldt, like other parts of Guyana, remain jobless, landless, and poor,” Hughes said.Asserting that the AFC is offering real solutions, Hughes promised that under an AFC-led government, every Guyanese who turns 18 would be entitled to a piece of land. He also outlined plans to establish Skills Academies in every region for youths who drop out of school, particularly to prepare them for employment in the oil and gas sector.He argued that Guyanese are being structurally excluded from the booming oil economy due to poor education outcomes and a lack of skills.“In Front Road, West Ruimveldt, and nearby communities, 48% of children are not completing secondary school. That means they’ll never be skilled or semi-skilled. And if they’re not skilled, they’ll never be hired in the oil and gas sector,” Hughes explained.He said the AFC will reverse this by providing vocational training, seed funding, and business mentorship for young people.Hughes also took aim at the Constitution, calling for urgent reform to end what he termed “structural oppression.”Hughes urged citizens to abandon political docility and begin “demanding your stake” in the country’s wealth.“There is enough money in Guyana for everyone to have world-class healthcare, free transportation for children, free land at 18, and the best education. The only reason it’s not happening is because we’re not fighting for it,” he said.While Saturday night’s rally may not have drawn the largest crowd, Hughes made it clear that the AFC intends to fight, not fold.The post AFC ‘not dead’– Hughes says as he launches ‘comeback’ at washbay appeared first on News Room Guyana.