In 24 hours the political career of former Prime Minister and former Leader of the Free National Movement (FNM) Hubert Ingraham will come to an end.

After 35 years as the Member of Parliament for North Abaco and 15 non-consecutive years as prime minister, Mr. Ingraham will tender his resignation letter on Thursday.

His departure from frontline politics is a pill that many of Mr. Ingraham’s supporters have found hard to swallow.

In light of his upcoming resignation, Mr. Ingraham’s constituents were invited to celebrate his life of service in a final reception held in North Abaco Monday evening.

The reception was the final leg of Mr. Ingraham’s farewell tour.

FNM Chairman Charles Maynard told the Bahama Journal that the farewell tour was necessary because it helped many party supporters gain closure.

“A lot of people over the course of his time in service sacrificed to work with him and campaign for him to keep his presence felt even if he might not have been there. So it was important for him to go back and show his appreciation for them and to make sure that they appreciate and understand the reasons for his decision and I think that at this point it is now largely accepted that he has made the right decision,” Mr. Maynard said.

Mr. Ingraham’s farewell tour began in Green Turtle Cay on Saturday.

On Sunday, he travelled to Grand Cay and Little Abaco.

Dundas Town, Murphy Town and Central Pines residents joined Mr. Ingraham for the final reception Monday night.

Mr. Maynard said while Mr. Ingraham’s constituents celebrated all he had done for them over the years, the entire country celebrates the legacy he has left behind.

Mr. Maynard said as a result of initiatives undertaken by Mr. Ingraham which were introduced at various government agencies, Bahamians can now enjoy the ease of quick and efficient service at government offices.

He also noted that Mr. Ingraham was solely responsible for the expansion of the media industry in The Bahamas.

“The fact that we have an open media now where there are any number of radio and television stations, you would recognise that he has created an entire industry here that did not exist prior to his time in office. This was something that he was dedicated to and in our last term in office he even went a step further to ensure that the awarding of private radio and television licenses was handled by a private regulatory body,” he said.

He also praised Mr. Ingraham for the creation of the parliamentary channel.

“Something as simple as the parliamentary channel being created where everyone can now watch everything that happens within the House of Assembly. That was not the case prior to Mr. Ingraham becoming prime minister. It has now caused parliamentarians to be more accountable. These are only a few of many things that Mr. Ingraham has done for this country. His legacy will live on forever,” Mr. Maynard said.

Mr. Ingraham was sworn in to the House of Assembly on July 19, 1977.