In a recent address addressing swirling public speculation, senior officials from Guyana’s main opposition-aligned political party, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), have confirmed plans to lease out the northern portion of the large Sophia plot that houses the party’s Congress Place headquarters, while forcefully pushing back against false claims that the historic property is up for sale.
According to insider sources familiar with the plan, the leased parcel will be developed into a commercial hotel, a core component of a broader strategy led by the PNCR’s fully owned business subsidiary, Maikwak Limited, to generate sustainable income from the party’s existing real estate assets. Insiders note that the long-term lease structure is designed to deliver a consistent, predictable revenue stream to support the party’s ongoing operations and activities.
PNCR General Secretary Sherwin Benjamin issued a blunt, categorical denial in response to social media criticism and online rumors that the party was moving to offload its iconic property. “Let me say categorically and vehemently that the People’s National Congress Reform has not sold Congress Place,” Benjamin stated, emphasizing that the party has no intention of selling the headquarters either now or at any point in the future.
Benjamin further clarified that the move aligns with earlier announcements from PNCR leader Aubrey Norton, who previously confirmed the party had activated its business arm Maikwak to manage and monetize party-owned assets. He appealed to long-time party members and supporters to trust that current party leadership is acting with full transparency and in the best interest of the 70-year-old organization, which was founded by the late Guyanese political figure Forbes Burnham.
“I want to say to our members and supporters that you have to have faith in the leadership of this party. We have nothing to hide. We have been dealing with our membership in an upfront manner, and so let us put aside the fears and the apprehension that we are selling Burnham’s party,” Benjamin added.
Addressing questions about why the party’s General Council, its second-highest decision-making body between national party congresses, has not convened since Guyana’s general and regional elections one year prior, Benjamin confirmed the body will hold a formal meeting before the end of 2026. He explained that scheduling challenges and logistical hurdles to gather members from across the country had delayed the meeting, but all decisions already approved by the party’s central executive will be formally presented for debate and ratification at the upcoming General Council session. Benjamin also noted that rank-and-file party members have been kept updated on all major decisions made by executive leadership in the interim.
The PNCR has a long history of leveraging its underutilized real estate holdings to generate income: over the past 35 years, the party has leased out other portions of its Sophia land, a downtown property on Croal Street that previously housed the Vanceram facility, and a Smyth Street plot that once hosted the party’s printery operations.
Benjamin also used the announcement to push back against internal and external criticism of party leader Aubrey Norton, who has faced repeated backlash over allegations he sidelined dissident party members and led the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) alliance — of which PNCR is the leading member — into its worst electoral performance in history. In a forceful rebuke of critics, Benjamin called on loyal party members to end public infighting, noting that undermining the party’s leadership only weakens the organization as a whole.
“Each one of us has a responsibility to this great party to ensure its success, and we’re doing that at the level of our leadership. Beating a leader or beating leadership is beating the party. Let’s stop this nonsense,” he said.
The 2026 general and regional elections marked a major shakeup for Guyana’s opposition landscape. The newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, founded by a billionaire former gold exporter and foreign exchange dealer, displaced APNU as the country’s largest opposition bloc, securing 16 of the 29 total opposition seats in parliament. APNU won just 12 seats, with the remaining one seat going to the small Forward Guyana Movement.