Muhammad Abu Naser

THE teacher who was blocked from taking his seat in the Town Hall after winning an election has turned on the Green Party organisers.

Muhammad Abu Naser thought he was due to become one of the new councillors for Regent’s Park last month, but was told he could not be inducted because of rules on employment.

He is currently a teacher in a council-managed secondary school, making him ineligible.

It has since been claimed that the chaos which has led to the need for a new by-election on July 9 could have been avoided if the council checked candidate applications before voting began – or if the Green Party had been more on the ball.

In his second letter to the New Journal in as many weeks, Mr Abu Naser said this week: “I am demanding an apology from the Green Party in relation to the handling of my candidacy and the events that followed my election.

“While I acknowledge the administrative issues that have been cited, I do not accept that this can be reduced to a simple ‘mistake’.”

He added: “The consequences of these failures extend beyond myself. Residents in Regent’s Park ward voted in good faith for democratic representation.

“Instead, they have been deprived of the councillor they elected, and a by-election has been required at significant public expense. This represents a breakdown in responsibility that cannot be ignored or minimised.

“For these reasons, I am formally requesting that the Green Party issues a full and public apology: first, to Regent’s Park ward voters. This is not a matter of internal dispute, but of public accountability, trust, and respect for the electoral process. An apology is the minimum appropriate response.”

Mr Naser’s intervention could not have come at more unhelpful time for the party, with just two weeks to go until the fresh vote.

The Greens won all three seats in Regent’s Park ward on May 7, ousting three former Labour mayors in Nadia Shah, Nash Ali and Heather Johnson.

But Labour is hoping the candidacy mess will lead voters back to them this time around.

A Green Party spokesperson: “We recognise that questions regarding Muhammad Abu Naser’s eligibility emerged only after the nomination deadline had concluded and we are reviewing our procedures to help ensure similar situations do not arise in future.”

“We wish Muhammad well for the future.”