The longest serving Free National Movement (FNM) Member of Parliament for Central Grand Bahama Neko C. Grant has officially announced that he will not run in the 2017 General Election.

Amid speculation last week by Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts that he would not run in the upcoming election, Mr. Grant confirmed those reports this weekend during a press conference held in Freeport.

24 years ago on August 19th, 1992 he was elected as the first Member of Parliament for the newly created constituency of Lucaya on the island of Grand Bahama.

Mr. Grant said at that time the country was in a crisis and in great need of deliverance.

“I entered politics not to enrich myself nor for other selfish endeavors,” he said.

“I entered because I felt that I could make a difference.”

He was then again reelected in 1997, 2002 and again in 2007 and was also among the six MPs who forced an early convention after threatening FNM leader Dr. Hubert Minnis via a written leader to the governor general to have him removed.

Not long after the FNM National Convention in which Dr. Minnis emerged victorious as leader once again, Mr. Grant was replaced by Bamboo Town MP Renward Wells as leader of opposition business in the House of Assembly earlier this month.

Grant also resigned from his post as shadow minister for public works.

The former MP did not give any details on the reasoning behind his decision.