formerprimeministerhubertingraham

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham underwent emergency surgery on Monday after the discovery of a blood clot on the surface of the brain.

The elder statesman and former party leader of the Free National Movement was expected to be released from Doctor’s Hospital on Wednesday and is said to be in good spirits, according to neurosurgeon Dr Magnus Ekedede.

He is expected to recover in two weeks.

Ingraham had initially complained of headaches one week before the FNM party’s convention which was held June 1′ and experienced some mobility impairment. He was later found to have Subacute Chronic Subdural Hematoma (SCSH) which required a two-hour surgery.

What is Subacute Chronic Subdural Hematoma?

Subdural hematomas are a type of bleeding inside the head. The pooling of blood causes pressure on the brain. The blood collects under the dura mater, under one of the layers of tissue that protect your brain.

These bleeds can be caused by a head injury. It can be classified as subacute, acute or chronic.

• A subacute subdural hematoma can occur with a concussion and symptoms usually occur within hours to days or even weeks after the head injury.
• An acute subdural hematoma is the most dangerous type of subdural hematoma. The symptoms are severe and appear right after a head injury, often within minutes to hours.
• Chronic subdural hematoma is more common in people older than 65. Bleeding occurs slowly and symptoms may not appear for weeks or months. Even minor head injuries can cause chronic subdural hematomas. You may not even recall how your head injury happened due to the delay in developing symptoms.

Who can get Subacute Chronic Subdural Hematoma?

Anyone can get a subdural hematoma, but certain factors like age can increase your risk. People 65 years and older, and babies are more at risk for getting subdural hematomas.

Age shrinks the brain inside the skull. The space between your skull and brain widens. This makes the tiny veins in the membranes between your skull and brain stretch. These thinned, stretched veins are more likely to tear, even if you experience a minor head injury.

Other causes of subdural hematoma include playing high-impact, contact sports; blood thinners which slow down the process of clotting; Hemophilia which is an inherited bleeding disorder that prevents your blood from clotting; or alcohol use disorder which results in a damaged liver resulting in the inability to produce enough proteins to help the blood to clot.

What are the symptoms of Subacute Chronic Subdural Hematoma?

Symptoms like vomiting and intense headaches can happen over days or even weeks after an injury.

Other symptoms include: a nagging headache, nausea and vomiting, slurred speech (dysarthria), changes in your vision, dizziness, balance issues or difficulty walking, weakness on one side of your body, memory loss, and disorientation.

Marco City MP Michael Pintard won the leadership position of the Free National Movement following its one-day convention that saw three candidates go head-to-head to vie for the post.

In an exuberant gathering at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church on Saturday, hundreds of delegates convened to cast their vote.

At the end, Pintard was declared the winner. In his victory speech, he expressed gratitude to former prime ministers and his supporters.

“…By the will of God, we will be back on 2026.”

To former parliamentarians, he encouraged, “It’s about the journey, make connections and change the course of people’s lives.”

Pintard promised that as leader of the Opposition, he will be careful in his deliberation. “We will speak in a measured way to get the result we need.”

Pintard, the favourite to win the post, competed with Central Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis and East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson.

Pintard won with 297 of the votes. Thompson received 103 votes and Lewis got 44 votes.

The three Grand Bahama parliamentarians made up the seven parliamentarians who retained their seats in the early election in September.

Pintard garnered support from former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and former St Anne’s MP Brent Symonette, and some of his former parliamentarians and Cabinet members in the Hubert Minnis led administration.

Minnis did not reveal who he voted for but said he will support the winner, in hopes that the party regain its footing to win the next general election.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham sat next to former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis and his wife Patricia at the Free National Movement’s 50^th Anniversary Service, in what seems like long-lasting tension that spilled over from recent weeks following speculations that Minnis would try to be re-elected as party leader.

As the congregation full of FNM supporters stood on their feet for Minnis’ entrance, Ingraham stood in the front row of the church with his head held straight as he looked ahead.

Patricia Minnis entered the front row followed by Minnis as neither they nor Ingraham reached out to greet one another.

Throughout the service, Ingraham sat stoically but stood in honor as Minnis ascended to deliver his speech.

When a teary-eyed Minnis spoke as the outgoing party leader and asked for forgiveness for the “mistakes” he made as prime minister, the congregants stood to their feet in applause, but Ingraham remained seated.

After his speech, Minnis descended the podium  and walked over to Ingraham, shaking his hand as the congregation applauded.

Party insiders suggested that Minnis was trying to hold onto the leadership post as he garnered support from delegates to be re-nominated at the party’s upcoming convention.

Minnis helped to perpetuate the rumors when he did not publicly deny that he may be seeking to be re-elected, when questioned by reporters, only to say, he will let God guide him, despite initially stating he will not run for the post.

Ingraham, whom many consider a statesman, then said on Friday that he expects a new leader to be elected as the leader on November 27, emphasizing, “…That’s what is going to happen. I shall be there, God willing, and so will others in the party.”

The relationship between the two men has been frosty since the beginning of Minnis’ reign when he stated that “the Ingraham era is over.”

Ingraham has not been an active member of the party in the last five years since Minnis’ prime ministership “because I did not think that my advice or counsel was appreciated, wanted or needed, and so I did not avail myself of any opportunity to get in the way of anyone.”

It remains to be seen what their relationship will look like going forward.

An emotional former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis offered apologies at his party’s 50th Anniversary on Sunday.

Teary-eyed during his speech, he said, “Where I have made mistakes, I ask for forgiveness.”

The congregation made up of former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, sitting members of parliament, former parliamentarians and supporters stood in applause as he sniffed and cried.

“I am not perfect and I never will be.”

This was a much-anticipated event as Minnis was due to announce the direction he will take as the FNM sits in Opposition after its loss at the electoral polls.

However, on Friday Minnis revealed that he will not nominate for the leadership nor will allow anyone to nominate his name, as speculations arose that he will seek to be reelected as the leader.

At the anniversary service, he reiterated the role he intends to play as the sitting MP for Killarney.

“As the former Prime Minister, whatever role assigned to me, I will support the role of the Opposition.”

Speaking to his wife Patricia, he said, “You are my greatest support. You were and remain my greatest critic.”

Minnis added that he will remain committed to the party.

“I remain an FNM…I will remain loyal and faithful to the FNM and its values.”

The party’s one-day convention will be held on November 27 when a new leader will be elected.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has teased the public on the possibility that he will run for leadership of the Free National Movement on November 27 when the party holds a one-day convention.

When the question was put to him by reporters, Minnis never directly answered the question only to say he would let God guide his next step.

This caused speculations that Minnis would run for party leadership despite stating that he would not after the party lost the majority of its seats in the early election on September 16.

Minnis today is stating emphatically that he “will not nominate for the leadership nor will I allow my name to be placed in nomination,” he said in a statement.

This comes as a surprising move after former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis told reporters that he found it interesting that people were still questioning whether Minnis will seek re-election for the leadership of the party.

Ingraham said on Friday morning, “It is clear to me that the current leader of the FNM will no longer be the leader of the FNM after the convention on November 27, and he has already told us he is not running for the office anymore.

“The party has determined it will hold a one-day convention with the sole purpose of electing a leader. That’s what is going to happen.

“I shall be there, God willing, and so will others in the party,” Ingraham said.

By afternoon, Minnis released this statement reassuring that he won’t seek re-election. Minnis added that he will continue in his role as a member of parliament for Killarney and “will support the work of the Official Opposition.”

Minnis has been described as a reneger by party insiders. He was accused of launching attacks inside the party on the leadership contenders and has been seeking party members’ support before the party goes to convention.

FNM Elizabeth MP Duane Sands did not survive at the voting polls. Instead, PLP Jobeth Coleby-Davis beat him to become the new parliamentarian for the Elizabeth constituency.

Sands expected a win at the polls. He seemed to have a good repertoire with his constituents and touted his list of accomplishments in the area.

Poll numbers showed that he and Coleby-Davis were running a close race but it was not enough for Sands to win.

Why it matters

Sands was endorsed by former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham in the weeks leading up to the election. Ingraham showed up in the Elizabeth constituency to publicly express support for Sands, whom he called “a great man,” even expressing hope that Sands would become prime minister.

Ingraham did not endorse Minnis during this election cycle, as he had done in 2017.

Sands’ loss a the polls means he would not have the opportunity to run against Minnis for party leader when the FNM holds convention.

The big picture

In 2017, Sands won the Elizabeth constituency, doubling the votes to beat the PLP candidate.

Sands was a former minister of health but resigned last year amid controversy over donated 2,500 COVID-19 test swabs, when the donors were allowed to disembark on New Providence and quarantine at home while the country’s borders were closed.

Ingraham was hoping that Sands would have been re-elected to the House and eventually become prime minister, which he likened to his experience.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham reemerged, this time to endorse Elizabeth MP Duane Sands.

Ingraham appeared in the Elizabeth constituency saying he hopes Sands wins his seat in the upcoming election and possibly becomes prime minister of the Bahamas.

Ingraham said Sands is “a good man.”

A delighted Sands said he was humbled by Ingraham’s endorsement.

Ingraham has not publicly endorsed Prime Minister Hubert Minnis but questioned Minnis’ decision to hold an early election amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In recent weeks, Ingraham and former Prime Minister Perry Christie spoke to the media about the elections after viewing the body of former Governor-General Arthur Hanna.

Both men who seemed to have become ‘best friends’, are not often seen in public, and are often hounded by the media for comments on public discourse when they do appear, differ with Minnis’s decision to hold elections now.

Today, Ingraham rehashed his disapproval.

“There is nothing that can I can say that can explain that better than reality. In the middle of this pandemic, we are having an election, that speaks for itself.”

The relationship between Ingraham and Minnis was believed to have soured after Minnis said in 2017 that “the Ingraham era is over.” The men are not known to have a relationship.