High Court ruling stalls LICB presidential elections

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC):

The Leeward Islands Cricket Board’s (LICB’s) presidential elections, which were slated to be held on Saturday, have now been put on hold after concerned persons within the Leeward Islands cricket fraternity obtained a High Court injunction.

The latest urgent court action was reportedly taken against the LICB after former West Indies international cricketer Kieran Powell was prevented from standing as a candidate in its upcoming presidential elections.

On Friday, the Antigua and Barbuda High Court granted an interim injunction temporarily suspending the LICB presidential election process, slated to be held last Saturday, following urgent concerns raised on behalf of the Anguilla Cricket Association and president of the Nevis Cricket Association Carlisle Powell, over transparency, fairness and constitutional compliance ahead of the scheduled vote.

The court has listed the first inter partes hearing for July 22 and has given the LICB until July 16 to file any affidavit in response.

Concerned regional board members and stakeholders within Leeward Islands cricket say the injunction was not sought to disrupt cricket administration, but to protect the integrity of the process before any final election outcome is declared.

At the centre of the dispute is the omission of Powell from the circulated nominee list, despite being understood by supporting regional cricketing associations to have secured the necessary nominations for the presidency.

Concerns have also been raised regarding the omission of vice-presidential candidate, Dr Timothy Hodge, and alleged delays linked to election correspondence reportedly being sent to an outdated email account.

Senior Leeward Islands cricket administrators have also pointed to unresolved questions surrounding the extended tenure of incumbent president Enoch Lewis, who is understood to have held office for approximately a decade or more, notwithstanding constitutional material presently relied upon that appears to prescribe a maximum of two consecutive three-year terms.

Questions have also been raised over how and when the latest constitutional amendments were adopted, circulated and ratified.

Officials say the court’s intervention reflects the seriousness of the issues now before it, with stakeholders maintaining that no election result should be confirmed while material questions over nominations, notice, eligibility and constitutional process remain unresolved.