Former TOP chairman Lionel Coker, now with the ILP, has distanced himself from an alleged plot against Tobago Development Minister Delmon Baker. Coker said he had no knowledge of that when asked yesterday about claims by Baker’s adviser, Stanley Beard, that an ILP radio programme had made public mischief with allegations about Baker and several former TOP executive members were all part of a plot to tarnish Baker. Baker remained incommunicado yesterday after he went to see the Prime Minister on Wednesday about what has been deemed “nasty rumours.”
ILP’s Jack Warner and deputy Lyndira Oudit did not answer calls yesterday Coker said he did not know what Beard was talking about. He said half of TOP’s executive had resigned and two—the former elections officer and assistant secretary—had joined ILP as he had. “So I don’t know what he’s (Beard) talking about. So many people left TOP, you don’t know who is who,” Coker added. He said TOP had about 3,000 members on its books and 500 financial members but since ILP began recruiting in Tobago, he said, it had obtained about 3,000 members, some from TOP, some from PNM and others who have never been involved in politics.