by Staff Writer
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The Executive Committee of the Nevis Reformation Party, following an investigation by the party’s disciplinary committee, have decided to expel Hon. Cleone Stapleton-Simmonds, Elected Representative for Nevis 5 (St. Thomas) from the party.
As confirmed in a statement to the media, the Disciplinary Committee of the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) recommended that Stapleton-Simmonds be relieved of her position and removed from any institutions of the NRP.
According to the statement, “The decision came as a result of Stapleton-Simmonds’ failure to comply with the decision of the Executive Committee for her to support the Honourable Dr. Janice Daniel-Hodge, Leader of the Nevis Reformation Party, as Leader of the Opposition in the Nevis Island Assembly.”
Stapleton-Simmonds was suspended from all party institutions in February 2023 following an impasse that was the deciding factor on who the opposition leader would be in the Nevis Island Assembly.
At the height of the impasse in February, Stapleton-Simmonds, in an interview with a regional media house, said the situation is not about the leader of the opposition but rather about who should be the appointed senator for NRP in the Nevis Island Assembly.
There were suggestions that Stapleton-Simmonds wanted to be appointed the leader of the opposition over the leader of the party, Hon. Dr. Janice Daniel-Hodge, elected representative for Nevis 4 (St. James).
Commentators, political pundits and the masses have weighed in on the action of the NRP Executive and its party leader regarding how the situation was handled, either praising them for not allowing the now former Deputy Party Leader to hold the Opposition Leader title hostage for say, over who should be their senator pick to criticising the party for ostracising a party member for wanting a say in who should be the senator for their party in the Nevis Island Assembly.
Others have also criticised Stapleton-Simmonds on her public handling of the impasse within the party but praised her for her democratic stance in having a say in who should represent their party and their supporters in the Nevis Island Assembly.
