Daniel made known his official resignation after lunchtime on Monday afternoon, hours after his seat in the Island Assembly was declared vacant by the Appeals Court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.

Daniel said,  “In light of the Court of Appeal’s decision and consistent with my tremendous respect for decisions of our court and the rule of law, I am announcing that I have today tendered my resignation as a minister of the Nevis Island Administration with immediate effect and I have so advised the Premier, the Hon Joseph Parry.” 

Monday’s court ruling came as a result of a challenge made in the High Court after the 11^th July, elections of 2011. Deputy Leader of the Concerned Citizens Movement, CCM, Mr. Mark Brantley, took court action, claiming that hundreds of persons, who were legally registered to vote in the election, were denied the opportunity, after their names were illegally removed from the Voters List by officials in the Electoral Office in Charlestown.

Earlier in 2012, the court agreed with Brantley and ruled in his favour, declaring the St. John’s Constituency seat to be vacant. Daniel and the NRP Administration appealed the decision but today Monday 27^th August, 2012, the earlier ruling that the election should be classified as null and void, was upheld by the appeals Court. This means that a bye election is necessary within 90 days.

But Daniel appeared confident despite the ruling against him, indicating that he and his party are already in election mode and are in fact ready to seek a new mandate from the electorate in St. John’s.

Mr. Daniel said, “The troupes in Constituency 2 have been mobilized and I have relocated to the battlefield in Cox. Let us be clear, elections are not won in the courts, but at the polls. In 2006 and again in 2011 we won at the polls; we will do so again when the Hon premier decides to call the bye elections. The courts have spoken, now it is the time for the people from Pond Hill to Bath, in whom I have great confidence, to speak and to speak loudly. I have no doubt that they will return me to the Nevis Island Assembly, to continue the service I started, and this time, not by 14 votes, but by 14 x 14.

Next time around, it is again expected to be a straight fight between Daniel and Brantley, but both candidates are extremely confident that they will emerge as the winner in an election that observers feel will be even more closely fought than that of 2011.